SATURDAY'S SCORES
Austin Peay 3, Presbyterian 1 (25-15, 25-11, 25-23)
Austin Peay 3, @Jacksonville 0 (25-21, 24-26, 25-20, 25-16)
Morehead State 3, Bucknell 0 (25-21, 25-21, 25-20)
Murray State 3, Southern 0 (25-22, 25-15, 25-20)
Eastern Illinois 3, Cal State Fullerton 0 (25-22, 25-25, 25-17)
@Memphis 3,
UT Martin 1 (23-25, 25-21, 25-23, 25-19)
New Mexico 3,
Tennessee Tech 1 (25-15, 24-26, 25-17, 25-17)
@SIUE 3, Montana 1 (29-31, 25-22, 25-10, 25-17)
UC Santa Barbara 3,
Eastern Kentucky 1 (24-26, 25-16, 25-19, 25-15)
@Pitt 3,
Eastern Kentucky 0 (25-16, 25-18, 25-12)
Illinois 3,
Tennessee State 0 (25-15, 25-18, 25-12)
Jacksonville State 3, Charleston Southern 0 (25-18, 22-25, 25-21, 17025, 15-11)
Jacksonvile State 3, Alabama A&M 0 (25-20, 25-23, 25-18)
@Chicago State 3,
Southeast Missouri 2 (27-25, 20-25, 25-23, 23-25, 15-13)
@SIUE 3, UIC 0 (25-17, 25-20, 25-19)
Eastern Illinois 3, @Indiana State 0 (25-18, 25-10, 25-17)
AUSTIN PEAY 3, PRESBYTERIAN 1; AUSTIN PEAY 3, JACKSONVILLE 0
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - Senior Ashley Slay became the 14th Governor to record 1,000 kills, leading Austin Peay State University's volleyball team to a three-set sweep (25-15, 25-11, 25-23) of Presbyterian, Saturday, of the Jacksonville Classic at UNF Arena.
Austin Peay (10-2) cruised through the first two sets before needing a come-from-behind effort in the third frame to secure its 10th win this season. The Governors offense rolled up 47 kills and a .288 percentage in the sweep while the defense won the battle both in blocks (9-2) and digs (61-44).
Slay notched her 1,000th kill midway through the third set and finished the match with 13 kills while posting a .462 attack percentage. Junior Kaylee Taff added eight kills and a team-best six blocks to lead the defense.
Presbyterian (3-8) was limited to 28 kills and a .051 attack percentage. Erin Eulitz led the Blue Hose with six kills.
Austin Peay wraps up its nine-match road trip with a noon contest against host Jacksonville.
SET-BY-SET
FIRST. Presbyterian enjoyed a brief 9-8 lead after scoring back-to-back points, but Austin Peay rattled off the next four points to take a 12-9 lead and force a PC timeout. A later 5-1 Governors run broke the set open, 20-12, and they didn't look back, finishing the frame with 14 kills (.282 attack percentage) and four blocks.
SECOND. The Govs played a nip-and-tuck affair halfway through the first rotation, but with Kristen Stucker at the service line, they turned the set around. Austin Peay scored five straight points on Stucker's serve, including back-to-back kills by Christina White, to turn a 7-5 deficit into a 10-7 lead. On the next rotation, White went to the service line and the Govs put the set away with a 6-0 run with Kaylee Taff putting down three kills. Austin Peay won 25-11 thanks to 19 kills and a .486 attack percentage.
THIRD. Govs battled through a slow start to the third, but Ashley Slay recorded her ninth kill and 1,000th career kill to get the Govs within two points, 7-5. Soon after, Presbyterian put together a 7-0 run to build their largest lead of the match, 15-8. Austin Peay rallied back with a 7-1 run of their own to tie the set at 17-17. The teams traded the next 12 points, before Logan Carger and Ashley Slay closed the match with back-to-back kills for a 25-23 win. The Governors posted 14 kills in the set and won despite a .108 attack percentage.
UC SANTA BARBARA 3, EASTERN KENTUCKY 1; PITT 3, EASTERN KENTUCKY 0
PITTSBURGH, Pa. - The Eastern Kentucky University volleyball team dropped matches against the University of Pittsburgh and the University of California Santa Barbara on the final day of the Panther Challenge.
The Colonels fell to Pitt by scores of 16-25, 18-25 and 12-25.
Against the Panthers (6-4) the teams went point-for-point for a majority of the first set. Pitt pulled ahead 13-11, but Kaylin Johnson, an All-Panther Challenge selection, came up with a kill from Rachel Woody to bring EKU within one, 13-12. An attack error from the Colonels sparked a 7-1 run, 20-13, for the Panthers that Eastern Kentucky would be unable to recover from, dropping the set 16-25.
Nikki Drost led the Colonels with 10 kills, hitting .304 in match one. Johnson led the charge for the blockers with three in the match.
EKU fell to UCSB (1-11) by scores of 26-24, 16-25, 19-25 and 15-25.
The Colonels (2-12) came out strong in game two, jumping out to an immediate 4-1 lead. A bad set from EKU tied the score at 6-6, allowing the Gauchos to go toe-to-toe with the Colonels for the remainder of the set. The teams tied the score eight times throughout the set, but a service error from UCSB and a kill from Celina Sanks sealed the game for EKU, 26-24.
Sanks notched 14 kills for the Colonels while Drost notched a double-double with 11 kills and 10 digs.
Woody tallied 38 digs.
EKU opens Ohio Valley Conference play next weekend with two games in Nashville, Tennessee. They will play at Tennessee State University on Friday at 7 p.m. and at Belmont on Saturday at 3 p.m.
MURRAY STATE 3, SOUTHERN 0
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. - The Murray State volleyball team closed the Alabama Crimson-White Tournament Saturday on a high note with a sweep over Southern in Tuscaloosa, Ala. Set scores went 25-22, 25-15 and 25-20. The Racers won 2-of-3 over the weekend in their last non-conference tournament of the season.
Rachel Giustino recorded her second consecutive double-double as she led MSU (8-4) with 13 kills and 10 digs. Alex Kaufmann also tied for the team lead with 10 digs in the match from her libero position. Giustino was the only Racer in double-figure kills as Courtney Radle was second on the team with a career-best nine kills. Radle also led the way with 30 assists in the win and led MSU to a .263 team hitting percentage.
Olivia Chatman added six kills while Megan Lindsay and Rachel Holthaus had five and four, respectively. Holthaus also led the Racers with two total blocks on the day. Southern (0-10) did out-block the Racers 4.5-2 in the match.
As a team, MSU held the Jaguars to a .107 hitting percentage and recorded four service aces to SU’s one. Chatman and Kaufmann were named to the all-tournament team for the weekend.
The Racers now look to defend their three consecutive OVC regular season titles as they begin OVC play next weekend in Murray. Eastern Illinois comes to Racer Arena for a 7 p.m., match Friday to kick-off conference play.
MEMPHIS 3, UT MARTIN 1
MEMPHIS, Tenn. - The University of Tennessee at Martin volleyball team claimed the opening set today but it wasn’t enough as the host Tigers handed the Skyhawks a 3-1 loss (25-23, 21-25, 23-25, 19-25) in the final match of the Memphis Invitational.
Despite this morning’s setback, UT Martin (6-7) placed second in the four-team tournament and placed a pair of players on the all-tournament team in Megan Fair and Kenzie Hinshaw. Fair totaled 33 kills (2.75 per set) on a .211 attack percentage while also scooping up 23 digs (1.92 per set) and six service aces. Hinshaw compiled 75 assists (6.25 per set), 34 digs (2.83 per set), six service aces and a .636 attack percentage (seven kills, zero errors in 11 attempts) while taking part in a 6-2 offense.
The Skyhawks were led offensively today by Hayley Gray, who posted 11 kills with just two errors for a .333 attack percentage. Hinshaw generated her fourth double-double of the season (21 assists, 12 digs) while Brooke Gyori’s 16 digs and Justine Walker’s five blocks guided UT Martin defensively.
The first set was all Skyhawks, as UT Martin never trailed in the opening stanza. The Skyhawks used a 7-1 run to forge ahead by a 10-4 margin and later doubled up the Tigers at 16-8. Memphis accounted for 10 of the next 13 points to pull within one point but Fair halted the Tiger momentum with a kill. Memphis got within one point on four more occasions but Hannah Phillips put away a pair of late kills – including the set-clinching point to give UT Martin an early 1-0 advantage in the match.
The Skyhawks hit just .125 in the first set but sided out at 65 percent (15-of-23).
The Tigers accounted for seven of the first 10 points of the second set before a Jamie Rys kill and Kelly Lean service ace helped UT Martin get back within striking distance. Phillips produced three consecutive kills as the Skyhawks overcame a late six-point deficit to trim their deficit to three points. A kill by Gray made the score 24-21 but the Tigers recovered to convert set point on the next possession to even the match at 1-all.
UT Martin compiled a .265 attack percentage with 13 kills (four errors) in 34 swings in the second set.
The third set began with the Skyhawks trailing by a 6-2 margin but a Gray kill and Lean service ace helped spur a 4-0 UT Martin run. That was the first of 13 ties in the third set, as neither side could open up a lead larger than two points until Memphis led 23-20. The Skyhawks took advantage of back-to-back Tiger errors to take a 20-19 edge but Memphis reeled off four unanswered points. UT Martin came right back with a Gray kill, Lean service ace and Rys kill evened the score once again at 23-23. However, Memphis accounted for each of the final two points of the set to go on top, 2-1.
Gray led the Skyhawk charge in the third set, hitting .455 with a team-high five kills and no errors in 11 attempts. Rys and Gyori shared the team lead with five digs apiece.
UT Martin led for a majority of the fourth set but the Tigers used a late surge to complete their comeback. Kills by Fair, Idemudia, Gray and Rys resulted in a 4-1 Skyhawk advantage. Memphis then took a brief lead but UT Martin secured five unanswered points to go ahead by a 13-11 margin. An assisted block by Walker and Phillips kept the score in favor of the Skyhawks but the Tigers closed the set on a 9-2 run to win the match.
Hinshaw and Gyori amassed five digs apiece for UT Martin in the final set.
After 13 nonconference matches to begin the season, the Skyhawks open up Ohio Valley Conference play with a four-match homestand over the next two weeks. That stretch begins on Tuesday, Sept. 19 when UT Martin hosts Southeast Missouri at 7 p.m. at Skyhawk Fieldhouse.
NEW MEXICO 3, TENNESSEE TECH 0
TOLEDO, Ohio - Down two starters due to injuries, the Golden Eagles had their work cut out for them in their final non-conference match of 2017 at the Blue/Gold Invitational.
Tech pushed New Mexico (8-4) to four sets in a 3-1 loss (15-25, 26-24, 17-25, 17-25). Its starting lineup featured Emily Brooks, Abigail Duncan, Taylor Houck, Rachel Thomas, Susie Jeziorowski, Shealene Little and Kirsten Brugere at libero with Brooks making her first start this season. Kellie Williams and Shaneice James did not play due to injuries sustained during yesterday’s double-header.
Junior Shealene Little earned a spot on the Blue/Gold Invitational all-tournament team, her third all-tournament honor of the season. Little saw time in all 11 sets this weekend, totaling 41 kills, 24 digs and 42.5 points. Her highest offensive numbers came today vs. New Mexico, recording 18 kills and 19 points and hitting .207.
Down 1-0 in sets, Tennessee Tech (2-10) traded points with New Mexico throughout set two until the Lobos established a three-point lead at 12-9. Tech kept the Lobos close, reaching a 24-24 score until timely kills from Susie Jeziorowski and Taylor Houck gave the Golden Eagles the set win at 26-24.
Tech jumped out to a 7-1 lead in the third set, but a 7-1 run by the Lobos tied the score at 8-all. The score stayed close until it reached 14-14, when New Mexico scored seven-straight to lead 21-14. It would take the set at 25-17 to lead two sets to one.
The Lobos led comfortably for much of set four. Down 23-13, Tech attempted a comeback, scoring three-straight, but it proved to be too much of a deficit as New Mexico won the set 25-17 to take the match three sets to one.
Tech opens conference play on Thursday, Sept. 21 at home vs. Jacksonville State (11-5).
MOREHEAD STATE 3, BUCKNELL 0; MOREHAED STATE 3, SAINT FRANCIS 1
LORETTA, Pa. - Junior setter Jordan Jones posted her second triple-double of the 2017 season, and the Morehead State volleyball team defeated Bucknell 3-0 and St. Francis (Pa.) 3-1 today to win the Red-Flash Classic. Jones was named tournament Most Valuable Player.
The Eagles are now 9-4. Junior middle blocker Jessie Wachtman was also named to the All-Tournament Team.
Against the host Red Flash tonight, Jones recorded a team-high 16 kills, 21 assists and 12 digs while hitting .480 on 25 swings. Wachtman added 13 winners and hit .429. Freshman outside hitter Lauren Rokey produced a double-double of 14 kills and 11 digs while hitting .296.
Junior middle blocker Maddie Fella, the OVC block leader, sent back seven rejections and was part of a 12-block effort for the Eagles.
In the morning action against Bucknell, it was Lohmeier who excelled. She smacked in 14 kills with just two errors for a .522 attack efficiency. Wachtman also added seven kills on a .545 hitting effort. And Rokey landed eight kills on a .333 hitting day.
Morehead State was extremely efficient on offense, hitting .326.
The Eagles open OVC play on Friday at Belmont.
JACKSONVILLE STATE 3, CHARLESTON SOUTHERN 2; JACKSONVILLE STATE 3, ALABAMA A&M 0
CHARLESTON, S.C. - The Jacksonville State volleyball team bounced back from a tough opening day in Charleston on Friday, to collect a pair of victories to wrap up tournament action on a high note on Saturday.
After dropping a five-setter the day before, Jax State (12-5) responded with a five-set victory of its own (25-18, 22-25, 25-21, 17-25, 15-11) against Charleston Southern Saturday morning inside The Citadel's McAlister Field House.
Four Gamecocks finished in double figures for kills highlighted by sophomore Kaylee Frear's season-best 12 off the bench. Junior Mackenzie Rombach also recorded 12 and added a dominating six blocks. Senior Allyson Zuhlke had 14 kills and four blocks, while Charis Ludtke reached 10 kills and two blocks.
The defense played a big part in JSU outlasting the Buccaneers for its first five-set win of the season. Jennifer Hart, who dishes 34 assists, also led the way with 24 digs followed by Hannah Kirk with 18 and Kaylie Milton with 12. Sophomore Ashley Clingan posted double-digit digs for the first time this season finishing with 11 four sets of action. Shayla Schmidt and Rachel Perucki were also key for the Gamecocks off the bench providing quality depth during the extended contest.
JSU pulled away from a 13-13 tie in the first with a 6-1 run to build a late five-point cushion which eventually turned into a 25-18 win for the Gamecocks to take a 1-0 lead. The Bucs led the second set from the beginning, at one point by as many as six points. JSU called time down 20-17 in an attempt to make a late charge, but it was to no avail.
With the opening two matches nearly point-for-point, the Gamecocks shuffled the lineup for the remainder of the game allowing Frear to make her first appearance of the day. JSU again used a late surge similar to the opening set to pull away from a 21-20 contest. The Gamecocks took the final three points of the set to grab a critical 2-1 match advantage. However, CSU bounced back to win the fourth just as they had the second with Jax State plagued by a handful of errors.
In the deciding fifth frame, JSU got off to the best start imaginable with a commanding 10-3 lead, but CSU refused to go easily as had been the case all afternoon. An 8-3 run from the Bucs caused a JSU timeout with a 13-11 lead. Frear put the Gamecocks at match point with her 12th and final kill of the game, followed by a block from Jax State to seal the win at 15-11.
In JSU's final match against Alabama A&M, the Gamecocks didn't need quite as many set of action in what turned into a straight-set win for the red and white.
In spite of the outcome, JSU trailed early in each of the first two sets against the Bulldogs. JSU tied the first frame at 8-8, and later began to build separation from a 13-all deadlock to go on and win the first, 25-20. In the second, JSU trailed 12-6 and 16-12, before rallying to even the score at 16. The team went back-and-forth until the Gamecocks took the final two points from a 23-23 score to secure a 2-0 match advantage.
JSU made the necessary adjustments to send the Bulldogs home quietly in the third to complete the sweep. Ludtke finished with 15 kills, while Rombach had 11 and three blocks. Schmidt led the way at the net with four blocks.
JSU returns to Jacksonville for a rematch with A&M on Tuesday night at Pete Mathews Coliseum before heading off again with four-straight road matches to begin Ohio Valley Conference play. Admission is free to all JSU home volleyball matches.
SIUE 3, MONTANA 1; SIUE 3, UIC 0
EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. - SIUE volleyball won the Cougar Invite Presented by DoubleTree Hotels with a pair of victories Saturday over Montana and UIC.
The Cougars improved to 10-2 and now have a five-match winning streak after defeating Montana 29-31, 25-22, 25-10, 25-17 and UIC 25-17, 25-20, 25-19. Montana fell to 5-8 overall, and UIC dropped to 9-4.
That completes the nonconference schedule for the Cougars. The Ohio Valley Conference season begins next weekend as SIUE takes to the road for its first three league contests. SIUE's first OVC opponent is Austin Peay next Friday.
On Saturday, SIUE's Taylor Joens and Emily Harrison were named to the Cougar Invite All-Tournament team.
Joens added Most Valuable Player honors to her list of awards. The reigning OVC Player of the Week recorded 37 kills and just one error on 67 attacks for a .537 hitting percentage. The Cougar senior added a strong 1.55 blocks and 1.55 digs per set.
Harrison also put up some outstanding offensive numbers. The senior outside hitter was second on the team for the weekend with 34 kills and a .368 hitting percentage.
SIUE proved strong in every area of the court, hitting .271 for the weekend as a team with 14.36 kills, 1.55 services aces, 2.55 blocks and 18.27 digs per set.
The Cougars gave up just one set on the day and that was a 31-29 nailbiter in set one against Montana.
SIUE has now won two tournaments this season, which is the first time that has occurred for the Cougars in the Division I era.
EASTERN ILLINOIS 3, CAL STATE FULLERTON 0; EASTERN ILLINOIS 3, INDIANA STATE 2
TERRE HAUTE, Ind. - Eastern Illinois volleyball team dominated the Indiana State Tournament finishing in first place Saturday morning and evening. The Panthers defeated Cal State Fullerton in a three-set match in their first game of the tournament 25-22, 25-22, and 25-17. In the final game of the Indiana State Tournament EIU won a five-set match against Indiana State, winning by scores of 22-25, 25-21, 21-25, 25-16, and .
Eastern Illinois finished tournament play with a record of 2-0 and a season record of 6-6 overall.
Game One: EIU 3, Cal State Fullerton 0 (25-22, 25-22, 25-17)
Eastern Illinois and Cal State Fullerton squared off in the Panthers first game to kick off the final day of the Indiana State Tournament.
Cal State Fullerton jumped out to a quick 12-0 run ignited by one of Jayla Norman’s ten kills in the match. EIU wouldn't slow down though tying the Titans three times in the first set and taking the lead twice. The first set was all about a late Panther 3-0 run fueled by a Maggie Runge kill that would end up giving the Panthers a commanding 24-21 lead. Maria Brown would close out the set with one of her seven kills in the match.
The second set would be more of a challenge for the Panthers, as the Titans didn't let EIU jump out to any runs. The second set featured a total eight tie scores and four lead changes. Kills by Taylor Smith and Brown would be the offensive push the Panthers needed to steal the second set from the Titans.
The third set featured the biggest point differential in final scores of the match. The Panthers would hit for their best average in the match hitting .353 and were able to defeat the Titans 25-17. The third set featured the highest tie scores and lead changes of the match totaling eleven ties, and five lead changes. A Panther 6-0 run late in the set started from a Runge kill would give the Panthers a lead to help secure the victory. Help close out the set for the Panthers were an Allie Hueston and Laurel Bailey kill.
Leading EIU offensively was Hueston and Runge who both finished the match recording a team-high eight kills each. Smith recorded her fourth double-double of the season leading the Panthers in assists with 18 and finishing with eleven digs. The defensive leaders for the Panthers included Anne Hughes who recorded a team-high 14 digs and Brown recording a team-leading five blocks.
Game Two: EIU 3, Indiana State 2 (22-25, 25-21, 25-21, 25-16, 15-9)
Eastern Illinois and Indiana State battled it out to close out the Indiana State Tournament. EIU was able to come back to defeat Indiana State winning a five-set match 22-25, 25-21, 25-21, 25-16, and 15-9.
The Panthers and Sycamores started off the first set even trading points back and forth. The Panthers jumped out to a 3-0 run early in the set fueled by an Allie Hueston kill. However, the Sycamores were able to fire back with a 5-0 run led by a Cassie Kawa kill. The Sycamores would hold off the Panthers and take the first set 25-22.
The second set started off completely similar with both teams fighting keeping the score close exchanging leads for a match-high four times and tying each other thirteen times. The two teams started off the set jumping out to quick runs. The Panthers put together a 4-0 run started from a Maria Brown kill, but the Sycamores would answer immediately back with a 5-0 run kicked off from a Nikki White kill. The Panthers would battle back with a couple of small runs that would ultimately let the Panthers take the set.
The third set kicked off with an offensive dominance by the Sycamores led by a Laura Gross kill, and a Sarah Peterson service ace to give the Sycamores a 3-0 lead. The Panthers didn’t let up and fired back causing three ties and two lead changes. The Sycamores would take the set 25-21 with the help of tournament MVP Laura Gross who tallied five of her team-high 18 kills in the set.
EIU took complete control in a must-win fourth set defeating Indiana State 25-16. The Panthers totaled their best hitting average in the fourth set hitting .475. Brown was able to record her fourth double-double of the season finishing the set with seven of her thirteen kills and three of her twelve digs.
In the final set, EIU came out charging jumping out to a 4-0 run led by a Maggie Runge kill. Hueston led the Panthers offensively recording a team-high two kills and two blocks in the set to secure first place in the Indiana State Tournament for the Panthers.
Tournament MVP Hueston led the Panthers with sixteen kills; Taylor Smith recorded her fifth double-double with a team-leading 23 assists and ten digs. Smith and Hueston both finished with a team-leading four blocks. Laurel Bailey led the Panthers defensively with her team-high 23 digs.
Hueston, Runge, and Smith all earned honors of being named to the Indiana State All-Tournament team. Allie Hueston had the honor of being named tournament MVP recording a total of 24 kills with a three kills-per-set average, a service ace, and six blocks. Runge finished the tournament with 18 kills with a 2.25 kills-per-set average, a service ace, and four blocks. Smith finished with 16 kills, 41 assists with a 5.12 assist-per-set average, two service aces, 21 digs, and five blocks.
EIU returns to action on September 22 where they will travel to Murray, Kentucky to open up conference play against Murray State.
CHICAGO STATE 3, SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 2
CHICAGO, Ill. - Southeast Missouri women's volleyball (5-9) dropped a five-set thriller to tournament host, Chicago State (9-6), Saturday afternoon at the Jacoby D. Dickens Center.
Chicago State won the first and third sets with the Redhawks evening the match with set victories in the second and fourth. The Cougars prevailed in the fifth set 15-13 to take the match 27-25, 20-25, 25-23, 23-25, 15-13.
The loss extends SEMO's losing streak to seven matches.
Krissa Gearring led the Redhawks with a season-high 25 kills and recorded her fifth double-double of the season. Gearring finished the tournament with 39 kills and 24 digs to earn Chicago State Invitational All-Tournament honors.
Mikayla Kuhlmann chipped in 11 kills and Nzingha Clarke added 10. Clarke also recorded a team-high seven blocks with Madara Bajare.
Setter Allie Henkelman totaled 32 assists and Keegan Fornoff had 24. Defensively, libero Ally Dion made 24 digs. Marie Less added a season-high 10.
Chicago State outlasted the Redhawks in the opening set, 27-25 and started the set with a 4-0 lead. An attack error by Chicago State gave SEMO a 20-18 lead. The Cougars went on a 4-0 run to take a 22-20 lead. Kuhlmann hit back-to-back kills to tie the set at 23-23. Haley Bilbruck slammed a kill to put Southeast back on top at 25-24. Lauryn Dela Cruz recorded three-straight kills to close out the set.
In the second set, SEMO and Chicago State exchanged the lead before Clarke crushed a kill to the set at 15-15. Two kills by Gearring and a service ace from Dion propelled the Redhawks to a 20-17 lead in the set. Southeast went on a 4-0 run to close out the set punctuated by a Krista Berns kill and service ace.
Chicago State responded with a 25-23 third set to take a 2-1 lead in the match. The Redhawks ended the set with an 8-0 run to cut the Cougars lead to 24-23. Gearring had three kills in the rally and Bilbruck added one. Carmen Carvajal then hit a kill to end the set at 25-23.
In the fourth set, SEMO reversed the score of the previous set in the Redhawks favor. Kills from Clarke and Gearring along with a handful of Cougars errors extended the Southeast lead to 16-10. Bajare and Gearring added two kills to grow the lead to 21-16. CSU then went on a 5-0 run to tie the set at 21-21 prompting a SEMO timeout. The Redhawks regrouped and finished out the set with kills from Bilbruck and Clarke to even the match at 2-2.
Southeast hit a match-high .474 in the fifth and final set. Gearring recorded five kills in the set and tied the set at 12-12. Dela Cruz then hit a kill followed by a Berns kill to tie the set again, this time at 13-13. The Cougars closed out the set to seal the victory with kills from Dela Cruz and Carvajal.
Southeast opens Ohio Valley Conference play on Tuesday when they play UT Martin (6-7) in Martin, Tenn.