Bolivar, Mo. – Saturday afternoon, the SBU beach volleyball inaugural season concluded against division I Missouri State. The 2023 beach bearcats set the standard for future seasons beginning the program with an impressive eight wins.
 
"I am very pleased with how our very first beach season went overall." Head Coach Morgan Goodman said, "The girls were constantly learning and growing in their physical skills as well as their volleyball IQ. The growth from the beginning to the end of season was exponential!"
 
The Bearcats began the program undefeated winning their first two matches of the season. Their wins came against McKendree University, also a first-year program, and Oklahoma Wesleyan University. Those games will go down in the record books as the first ever wins for the new Bearcat program.
 
A big highlight from this season was the dynamic duo of Azalea Clendenning and Bailey Lasater. Starting off the season as the number two pair, they quickly became the number one as they started out the season a perfect 7-0 and a remarkable 12-1. Lasater and Clendenning finished the season 16-4, defeating established duos at the number 1 spot.
 
"No one on the team had any idea what to expect when going against any of the teams we played, so we just walked into every game with a positive attitude and stuck to our style of play." Lasater said, "Azalea and I would try our best to evaluate the other pair early in the game so we could find ways to make points. Our coaches helped us a lot on the sidelines to keep us positive during tough matches and help us make good decisions during the match."
 
Lasater and Clendenning have been nominated to for the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) topflight award. Any pair that won 75% of their matches and were in the same flight number for at least 15 games is eligible. The recipients for this award will be selected in early May.
 
"Bailey and Azalea at the 1's showed so much composure and high level play all season which impressed me." Goodman said, "especially with only being a freshman and a sophomore. The future is very bright for our Bearcat Beach Volleyball program."