The Bears entered tournament play Friday in Gulf Shores, Alabama hoping to get off on the right foot against tough competition.
 
And they did just that picking up a hard-fought 12-25, 25-16, 21-25, 25-23, 16-14 win over John Melvin.
 
Unfortunately, though, the Bears had to turn right back around and face a Snead State team immediately afterward and could not keep the momentum, falling 17-25, 19-25, 22-25.
 
Southwest head coach Chris Laird said that he is proud of how his team played today with not only getting the win over the Mohawks in the first match but fighting hard against a rested team in the Parsons.
 
"They (Snead) are a good team and they were fresh," he said. "We went the distance (against John Melvin) and we had to play back-to-back and we were mentally tired. Hats off to Snead, they were fresh and they played well."
 
Southwest will wrap play at the Gulf Shores Tournament on Saturday against Northeast Mississippi at 11 a.m. and Reid State at 1 p.m.