The 2021 Ohio Valley Conference Volleyball Championship begins today with first round action. The three-day event is being held on the campus of Southeast Missouri.
Tickets are $6 per day and is free with a valid college ID at the gate. Tickets can be purchased
online or at the gate the day of the match.
Match 1:#3 Austin Peay 3, #6 Tennessee Tech 0
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Match 2: #2 Morehead State 3, #7 Belmont 0
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Match 3: #5 Murray State 3, #4 UT Martin 0
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Match 4: #1 Southeast Missouri 3, #8 Eastern Illinois 0
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#3 AUSITN PEAY 3, #6 TENNESSEE TECH 0
CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. - Austin Peay advanced to the semifinals of the 2021 Ohio Valley Conference Volleyball Championship with a three set (27-25, 25-15, 25-19) win over Tennessee Tech on Thursday.
Mikayla Powell led the Governors with a match-high 16 kills on a .500 hitting percentage. Brooke Moore had 12 kills and eight digs in the win. Kelsey Mead dished out a team-best 23 assist while Caroline Waite had 17. Erin Eisenhart led the defeans with 17 digs.
Tennnessee Tech was led by Skylar Boom with 18 kills and a .722 hitting percentage. Ashley Hand recorded a match-high 39 assists while Emma Osterbur led the team with 10 digs.
Austin Peay will face the winner of the Morehead State/Belmont match in the semifinals tomorrow at 3 p.m. CT.
#2 MOREHEAD STATE 3, #7 BELMONT 0
CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. - Morehead State Volleyball advanced to the semifinals of the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament at SEMO Thursday with a 3-0 sweep over seventh seeded Belmont.
The Eagles (19-11), the second seed, completed a straight-set season sweep over the Bruins - also winning in straight sets in both regular-season matchups. The Eagles now advance to play third-seed Austin Peay on Friday at 4 p.m. ET. MSU won 25-16, 25-21, 25-17.
Sophomore Abby Hulsman led the Eagles with 14 kills, her sixth double-digit match in her last seven outings, while freshman McKenzee Wagener smashed 11 kills on a season-best .529 attack efficiency. Wagener also added three blocks to get 115 total blocks for the season.
Defensively, junior libero Allison Whitten moved above the 500-dig plateau for the season with a match-high 22 scoops as the OVC leaders in digs won that battle, 61-48, over the Bruins.
Morehead State, also the OVC team leader in kills and assists, had a significant advantage in successful terminations at 51-32. Bridget Bessler handed out 41 assists on the 51 kills, and she also added seven digs. The Eagles also landed six aces.
The first set was tied 11-all, but Wagener sparked a 10-2 run book ended by a Bessler dump kill. Belmont actually ran out to a 6-1 lead in the second set, but a subsequent 10-4 flurry for MSU got it the lead back at 11-10 after Hulsman's kill. The set was tied 15-all later, but the Eagles outscored the Bruins 10-5 to gain the 2-0 cushion.
The third set featured a similar scenario as the Bruins led 10-9 before an 11-2 run gave the Eagles the momentum to hold off Belmont.
MSU finished with a .282 attack percentage, its second highest this season against a league opponent.
Belmont's Mary Catherine Bal and Lauren Walsh led the Bruins with seven kills each. Rachel McBride paced the defense with 13 digs.
#5 MURRAY STATE 3, #4 UT MARTIN 0
CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. - The Murray State Racers (17-11, 11-7 OVC) won when it mattered, avenging their two regular season losses to the UTM Skyhawks (15-17).
The Racers swept the Skyhawks, 25-21, 31-29, 26-24 in the opening round of the OVC tournament on Thursday afternoon at Houck Fieldhouse in Cape Girardeau, Missouri.
Murray State showed real toughness, falling behind 8-2 in the second set and 6-0 in the third set to start each set but stayed resilient, fighting their way back in to each game.
Facing set point in set three, the Racers rattled off four points in a row to comeback and complete the sweep of the Skyhawks to advance to the semifinal game against #1 seed Southeast Missouri.
Murray State was also very efficient as a team, finishing with 54 kills and only 13 errors for their highest efficiency of the season, .325.
In her first tournament game, Brooke Lynn Watts showed why she was named the OVC Freshman of the Year, putting down a match-high 23 kills on a blistering .378 attacking clip and added seven digs.
Redshirt senior Kolby McClelland continued her hot streak, matching her season-high 14 kills on a .357 hitting % and one solo block, one block assist and one ace.
The three-time OVC Defensive Player of the Year, Becca Fernandez, opened her final OVC Tournament collecting 23 digs while setter Bailey DeMier dished out 46 assists in the three sets.
Haeleigh Paulino had quite a match today for UT Martin, posting her 16th double-double of the season (21 assists, 10 digs) to go along with six service aces. Her serving performance came one ace shy of the program’s all-time record for a three-set match (seven by Joanne Jerrick against Tennessee State on Sept. 26, 1992).
Offensively, Logan Wallick unreeled a team-best 14 kills on a .429 hitting percentage while Karen Scanlon added 12 kills on a .357 attack percentage. Addy Vaughn distributed 13 assists as the Skyhawk offense hit .227 as a team.
The #5 seed Racers will return to the court tomorrow night (Nov. 19) at 6:00 p.m. CT, where they will face #1 seed Southeast Missouri in Cape Girardeau, Missouri in the semifinals.
#1 SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 3, #8 EASTERN ILLINOIS 0
CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. - Top-seeded Southeast Missouri women's volleyball (24-7) swept #8 Eastern Illinois (11-18), 25-13, 25-15, 25-18, in the opening round of the 2021 Ohio Valley Conference Championship Tournament Thursday night at Houck Field House.
SEMO will now take on #5 Murray State (18-11) in the 2021 OVC Championship Tournament Semifinals Friday night. First service is set for 6 p.m., CT following the opening semifinal between #2 Morehead State (19-11) and #3 Austin Peay (21-11) slated for 3 p.m.
Morehead State beat #7 Belmont (9-20), 25-16, 25-21, 25-17, and Austin Peay defeated #6 Tennessee Tech (16-14), 27-25, 25-15, 25-19, earlier Thursday.
Colby Greene led the Redhawks Thursday with 14 kills on a stellar .591 hitting percentage. Laney Malloy, the 2021 OVC Player of the Year, added a double-double of 10 kills with 10 digs and an ace.
Zoey Beasley, a 2021 All-OVC First-Team performer, added eight kills.
With a slight 9-8 lead, SEMO went on a 9-1 run to pull ahead 18-9.
Beasley, Greene, Elissa Moylan and Ochs each then registered kills to make the advantage 22-10.
Greene then connected on two more kills before Talia Gouard claimed the first frame, 25-13, after a rally stopper.
Gouard finished Thursday's match with four kills on a .444 with three blocks and two digs.
SEMO hit a match-best .425 to start the First Round matchup with EIU. Greene had six kills (.667) in the opening set while Malloy posted five (.308).
The Panthers took an early 7-5 edge in the second set before a kill by Beasley and an ace from Kayla Closset evened the stanza at 7-7.
SEMO then went on a 3-0 run to widen the margin to 13-10 and prompt an EIU timeout.
Out of the stoppage, the Redhawks scored three straight points before increasing its advantage to 23-13 on a 6-0 run with Closset serving.
Greene added a kill to bring on set point at 24-14 before the Redhawks claimed the set with a winner from Malloy, 25-15.
SEMO then commenced the third set with a 10-4 advantage.
The Panthers clawed within three, 14-11 and 15-12, after a pair of kills by Danielle Allen, a 2021 All-OVC First Team player.
The Redhawks then widened the gap to 20-14 after three straight Panthers errors.
Greene then hit two more kills as SEMO wrapped the match with a 25-18 third set.
Greene knocked five kills on a .625 clip in the third frame Thursday.
Ochs, the 2021 OVC Setter of the Year, handed out 32 assists with seven digs, three kills and two blocks as SEMO finished with a rate of .340.
The Redhawks closed the match with a .276 second set and .280 third set, respectively.
Tara Beilsmith, a 2021 All-OVC Second-Team player, notched nine digs and four assists. Closset also grabbed nine digs with two aces and two assists. Ally Dion had six digs and two assists.
Moylan added three kills on a .333 with two blocks.
SEMO outscored Eastern Illinois, 50.0 to 31.0, and led the kills category, 42-28.
The Redhawks also had three aces while the Panthers finished with none.
SEMO out blocked EIU, 5-3, and also led assists (41-28) and digs (47-37).
Allen led the Panthers with 10 kills. Kylie Michael added nine with 10 digs.
Summerlyn Smith had 17 assists while Bailey Chandler finished with eight. Ashley Sharkus grabbed 10 digs.
The host Redhawks face #5 Murray State in the 2021 OVC Championship Semifinals Friday. First serve is slated for 6 p.m., CT at Houck Field House.
The Semifinals open Friday with #2 Morehead State against #3 Austin Peay at 3 p.m.