Volleyball Recaps - September 17

Volleyball Recaps - September 17

FRIDAY'S SCORES
Nicholls State 3, Belmont 0 (25-10, 25-15, 25-13)
FAMU 3, Belmont 0 (26-24, 25-19, 25-19)
Murray State 3, Cleveland State 0 (25-15, 25-17, 25-16)
Arkansas State 3, UT Martin 1 (26-29, 26-24, 25-23, 25-17)
UT Martin 3, Arkansas Pine Bluff (25-14, 25-22, 25-15)
St. John's 3, Austin Peay 0 (26-24, 25-20, 25-20)
@Western Kentucky 3, Austin Peay 0 (25-18, 25-16, 25-23) 
@Southeast Missouri 3, Tulsa 1 (25-21, 16-25, 25-17, 25-9)
@Southeast Missouri 3, Southern Illinois 0 (25-17, 25-18, 25-11)
Tennessee State 3, Prairie View A&M 0 (25-11, 25-18, 25-19)
Tennessee State 3,@UT Arlington 2 (17-25, 23-25, 29-27, 27-25, 15-9)
Western Carolina 3, Tennessee Tech 1 (25-11, 21-25, 25-20, 25-23)
@Indiana State 3, Eastern Illinois 0 (25-10, 25-10, 25-15)
@Morehead State 3, Toledo 0 (25-20, 25-16, 25-23)
Valparaiso 3, @SIUE 0 (25-1, 25-21, 25-17)

MURRAY STATE 3, CLEVELAND STATE 0
EVANSVILLE, Ind. - 
The Murray State Racers volleyball team (6-3, 0-0 OVC) took down the Cleveland State Vikings (2-8, 0-0 Horizon) in straight sets (25-15, 25-17, 25-16) on opening day of the Dunn Hospitality Invitational.
 
Alexa Harris was on fire as she set a new season-high, 12 kills. Harris and Brooke Lynn Watts tied for the team-lead with 12 kills apiece, both hitting .259.
 
Becca Fernandez picked up 11 digs while Harris collected nine digs to finish just shy of her first career double-double.
 
Morgan Price also set new career-highs with seven kills on a .467 hitting percentage. She added two solo blocks and one block assist.

The Racers jumped out to a 4-0 in the first set and extend their lead to 14-6 thanks to an 8-1 run with two kills each from Price and Harris and easily took the first set, 25-15.

In set two, Cleveland State kept things tight with the Racers until kills from Watts, Harris and Darci Metzger and an ace by Bailey DeMier ran the score to 14-8. A tip kill from Price closed out the second set, 25-17, as the Racers hit .448 in the second set with 16 kills.

The third set saw Watts heat up as she put down three kills during a 7-2 run to build the Racers lead to 18-12. Murray State won five of the last six points to close out the set and the match, 25-16.

The Racers face host Evansville tomorrow at 1 p.m. for their final game of their non-conference schedule.

MOREHEAD STATE 3, TOLEDO 0
MOREHEAD, Ky. -
 Powered by a season-high .361 attack efficiency and nine blocks, Morehead State volleyball halted a three-game skid by blanking Toledo 3-0 in the Eagles' second match of the Comfort Inn-Vitational Friday at Johnson Arena.

Morehead State now sits at 4-6, while the Rockets lost for just the third time in 11 matches. MSU won 25-20, 25-16 and 25-23.

Graduate student outside attacker Olivia Lohmeier moved to third place in career kills at MSU with a match-best 17 tonight and now 1,683 for her tenure as an Eagle. She passed former all-star Amy Almond, who had 1,672 from 1999-02. Lohmeier also moved into ninth place in Ohio Valley Conference history with her kill total, as she also hit at a .424 clip tonight with only three errors on 33 swings and added three blocks to boot.

Fellow outside hitter Abby Hulsman, a sophomore, knocked down 15 kills while committing only three mistakes herself for a team-best .500 hitting percentage. Freshman middle McKenzee Wagener blasted seven kills on a .417 attack night with a team-high six blocks as well. In two matches this weekend, Wagener has recorded 13 kills and just two errors.

Running the show, freshman setter Brenna Bommer made her third career start and handed out 42 assists while having a hand in three blocks. The Eagles also landed six aces on the serve game, which is a season high.

The Eagles forced the Rockets into just a .206 hitting night, including a negative .061 performance in the second set whe Toledo had nine kills but 11 mistakes on attacks.

Morehead State concludes the weekend action on Saturday at 2 p.m. ET against No. 4 Pitt, the fourth nationally-ranked foe for MSU this year.

ARKANSAS STATE 3, UT MARTIN 1; UT MARITN 3, ARKANSAS-PINE BLUFF 0
MEMPHIS, Tenn.  - 
The University of Tennessee at Martin volleyball squad wrapped up the opening day of the Tiger Brawl with a convincing victory over Arkansas-Pine Bluff, sweeping the Golden Lions by a 25-14, 25-22, 25-20 margin. Earlier in the day, the Skyhawks scrapped throughout but fell in four sets (27-25, 24-26, 23-25, 17-25) to Arkansas State.
            
Olivia Saunders and Addison Conley shared the team lead in kills today, each slamming down 17 kills. Saunders hit .283 with just four errors on the day while Francela Ulate contributed 14 kills on a .282 attack percentage. 
            
Junior setter Haeleigh Paulino stood out today with a pair of double-doubles to give her five on the season. In today’s opener against Arkansas State, she handed out a career-best 40 assists and scooped up a team-high 15 digs. She followed that with 24 assists and a team-best 16 digs in the nightcap against Arkansas-Pine Bluff.
            
Defensively, Baillie Kearns equaled Paulino with a team-high 31 digs (4.43 per set) out of the libero position. Karen Scanlon swatted away a team-best seven blocks while Zoe Merriweather accumulated six blocks and a team-high 2.00 blocks-per-set average. 
            
UT Martin ends its participation in the tournament tomorrow when it squares off against event host Memphis at 11 a.m.

Arkansas State
The Skyhawks nabbed the first set and were in contention throughout but the Red Wolves came from behind to claim the win.
            
UT Martin began the match on the right foot, overcoming an early deficit to take the opening set. The Skyhawks trailed 7-1 but eventually closed its gap to two points after a 4-0 run made the score 11-9. A Saunders kill provided UT Martin with its first lead of the day at 16-15 while a Logan Wallick putaway extended the Skyhawk advantage out to 20-17. The score wound up being knotted at 25-all before back-to-back Arkansas State attack errors put UT Martin up 1-0 in the match. Paulino compiled 14 assists while Conley came away with a match-high six digs in the first set for the Skyhawks.
            
Early kills by Scanlon and Ulate helped UT Martin even the score at 4-all but the Red Wolves soon went on a 5-0 run. Another kill from Ulate pulled the Skyhawks within a single point at 12-11 but Arkansas State would later stretch its lead out to 21-17. UT Martin clawed back to even the score at 21-all following a 4-0 run that featured kills from Saunders, Audrey Haworth and Wallick. After the Red Wolves nabbed set point at 24-21, the Skyhawks fought back with three consecutive points but Arkansas State broke the 24-24 tie with two straight kills. Paulino secured a team-high three kills and 11 assists while Kayla Carrell was responsible for a team-high six digs in the second stanza.
            
UT Martin led for a large portion of the third set but the Red Wolves once again mounted a comeback. Saunders’ fourth kill of the set made the score 11-6 in favor of the Skyhawks but Arkansas State raced back to even the set at 16-all. Saunders immediately responded with another kill to break the tie but the Red Wolves went on an 8-3 run to claim set point. UT Martin answered with three consecutive points but unfortunately it wasn’t enough as Arkansas State scored on the next possession to go ahead 2-1. Saunders hit .455 with no errors in 11 swings while Kearns and Paulino each had a team-best six digs in the third set.
            
Ulate spiked down a kill to provide the Skyhawks with a 3-1 advantage in the fourth set but the Red Wolves scored six of the next seven points. Wallick (two kills) and Paulino (kill, service ace) combined for four consecutive points for UT Martin to tilt the score back in favor of the Skyhawks at 12-11. However, Arkansas State used a 6-0 surge to create some separation and UT Martin could not get any closer than four points the rest of the way. Paulino led the way for the Skyhawks in the final set, posting five assists, five digs, one kill and a service ace.

Arkansas-Pine Bluff
UT Martin made quick work of the Lady Lions, notching its second sweep of the 2021 campaign.
            
The Skyhawks shook off a slow start as they fell behind 5-1 before seizing control after a 9-0 run. Conley had kills to start and close out the run, tallying three kills and a block assist during the surge that opened up a 16-9 advantage. UT Martin kept its foot on the gas late, accounting for six of the final seven points as Paulino registered back-to-back kills to put an exclamation point on the opening stanza. The Skyhawks hit .324 in the first set as Conley’s four kills led the way. Meanwhile, UT Martin’s defensive attack included 25 digs – nine of which came from Kearns.
            
Another lengthy run aided the Skyhawks in the second set although UT Martin did have to battle down the stretch to secure the 2-0 advantage. Seven ties took place in the first 18 combined points but the Skyhawks reeled off an 8-1 run to go on top by a 17-10 margin. Arkansas-Pine Bluff then responded with an 8-1 run of its own to even the score at 18-18. A Saunders kill followed on the next possession before Conley closed out the set on a tear, piling up three kills (including the set-clincher) to help UT Martin end on a 6-3 run. Conley had five kills on a .417 hitting percentage (no errors in 12 swings) while Paulino had a team-high six digs in the second stanza.
            
Ulate had the hot hand to kick off the third set, compiling three kills out of the Skyhawks’ first six points. UT Martin led by an 11-9 margin before Conley soon took over – managing three kills in the span of five Skyhawk points. A solo block by Merriweather nudged UT Martin’s lead out to match point at 24-16. The Lady Lions scored four unanswered but the Skyhawks completed the sweep with a block assist by Merriweather and Conley. UT Martin’s defense limited Arkansas-Pine Bluff to a .000 attack percentage (11 kills, 11 errors) as Merriweather rejected three of the team’s five blocks in the final set.

NICHOLLS STATE 3, BELMONT 0; FAMU 3, BELMONT 0
AUBURN, Ala.
- Belmont University volleyball dropped a pair of non-conference contests to Nicholls State and Florida A&M on Friday, falling 3-0 in both matches to open up the War Eagle Invitational.  

The Bruins bounced back after an early-morning defeat at the hands of the Colonels to play much sounder in what ended up being a loss to the Rattlers. 

Belmont faces SEC foe Auburn tomorrow at 1:30 p.m. on SEC Network+ to wrap up the War Eagle Invitational in Auburn, Ala. The match will be Belmont's final non-conference contest before the Bruins dive into OVC play on Tuesday night at home against Tennessee State.  

Nicholls State Recap 

A sluggish start doomed the Bruins in Friday morning's match against Nicholls State, as Belmont fell 10-25, 15-25, and 13-25 in a straight-set loss.  

Playing in spacious Auburn Arena at 10 a.m., Belmont couldn't get much going offensively from the jump, committing 11 attack errors in the first set on the way to a -.116 hitting percentage.  

The Bruins trailed just 9-12 at one point, but Nicholls (7-3) got on a roll, taking 13 of the next 14 points for the 25-10 set decision. Laura Shoopman was the lone bright spot in the opening frame for Belmont, recording three kills and three digs. 

More offensive woes hampered Belmont in the second set, as they committed ten attack errors and hit -.162. After five blocks in the first set, Nicholls tacked on three more in the second set on their way to a 25-15 win. 

The Colonels wrapped it up with a quick third set, shutting down the Bruins, 25-13, to earn the sweep. Belmont showed spurts of life, getting blocks from Kailee Bass, Lauren Walsh, and Sydney Willis, along with two quick kills for Missy Sterkel, before bowing out. 

For the match, Belmont got just one service ace to eight service errors. The second-best blocking unit in the OVC, the Bruins weren't able to exert their usual control at the net, tallying a season-low three blocks on the morning. 

Florida A&M Recap 

Taking on a talented Florida A&M team that had earlier in the day upset undefeated Auburn in five sets, Belmont scratched and clawed but ended up falling in straight sets for the second time on the day. 

The Bruins lost 24-26, 19-25, and 19-25 to put a capper on the opening day of the War Eagle Invitational. 

Getting her first start of the season, Izzy Schauer put on a show to the tune of 40 assists and 12 digs. The 40 assists were the most by a Bruin this season, eclipsing Carly Mason's mark of 31 against North Alabama.  

Laura Shoopman was the primary recipient of the excellent passing, recording 16 kills on a .257 hitting clip. Taylor Floyd chipped in with 14 kills. 

The Bruins gave the Rattlers all they could handle in the first set, but Florida A&M (7-4) escaped with a 26-24 win. Belmont tallied three of their eight total blocks in the first set, while Shoopman led the way with five kills. The set was tied 22-22, 23-23, and 24-24 before the Rattlers finally got back-to-back points to snag the 1-0 set lead. 

In the second frame, Belmont hit a remarkable .311, only committing three attack errors. On the night, the Bruins only had 13 attack errors, their fewest in a match since the season-opener against Alcorn State. However, the Rattlers used a late surge to win, 25-19. 

In the third and final frame, Florida A&M was able to hold Belmont at bay with one last 25-19 set win. The loss is Belmont's seventh in a row. 

Mary Catherine Ball had her best match of the season for Belmont, notching a career-high four blocks to go along with five kills and seven digs. Missy Sterkel was great in complement duty to Shoopman and Floyd, collecting a career-high nine kills on the pins. 

The Bruins face SEC foe Auburn in a headliner clash on Saturday at 1:30 p.m. The game will be broadcast on SEC Network+, with Graham Doty on the call. Belmont is 1-8 all-time against the SEC, with the lone win coming against Mississippi State in 2013. 

INDIANA STATE 3, EASTERN ILLINOIS 0
TERRE HAUTE, Ind. -
 Eastern Illinois lost its second match of the season after losing to Indiana State Friday afternoon. The Sycamores won in three sets beating EIU 10-25, 10-25, and 15-25. EIU is now 7-2 on the season.

The Panthers called an early timeout in the first set down 3-0 against ISU, but ultimately lost 10-25. EIU had five kills in the set with Emily Wilcox leading the way with two of the five. ISU was led by Karinna Gall with six kills in the set on 10 attempts.

EIU had a similar result in the second losing its second straight set by a score of 10-25. The Panthers again had five kills in the set with two of them coming from Ella Collins and Kameryn Sillmon. ISU scored 11 of their points off of kills in the second set, and had a .321 hitting percentage.

The match ended with EIU losing its last set by a score of 15-25. The Panthers had their best quarter of the day in the third with 10 kills in total, out-hitting the Sycamores by two. ISU had five service aces in the final set to win in three.

Eastern was led by Wilcox with six kills, Summerlyn Smith with 12 assists, and Lorraine Perez with 12 digs. Indiana State was led by Gall and Kaitlyn Hamilton with eight kills each and Chloe Mason with 19 assists and four service aces.

The Panthers return home to Lantz Arena on Sunday, Sept. 19 at 4 p.m. to play their second match against the Sycamores of Indiana State.

VALPARAISO 3, SIUE 0
EDWARADSVILLE, Ill. -
 Crowds returned to First Community Arena for the first time in more than a year and a half on Friday night to see SIUE volleyball open the 2021 Cougar Classic; however, the Cougars' home opener would be spoiled in a straight-set loss to Valparaiso (13-25, 21-25, 17-25).

The opening set saw the Cougars fail to find their footing, as a pair of lengthy scoring runs for the Beacons put the set firmly out of reach. The Cougars were held to a .038 hitting percentage, while the Beacons hit at a .333 clip and sided-out a match-high 76%. However, the Cougars found their groove in the second set, trading blows with Valparaiso and holding the Beacons to a .211 clip. Sydney Hummert shined in the second set, registering six kills on 15 attempts and also recording five digs. Hummert was responsible for nearly 50 percent of the Cougars' kills in the second set. Despite the improvements, Valparaiso's defensive effort proved enough to thwart the SIUE attack and narrowly claim the second set. The third set saw even more back-and-forth action, seeing a match-high five tie scores and a pair of lead changes. A Beacons scoring run, however, would prove to be the difference, as Valpo would win the third set and the match.

Hummert registered the team's only double-double, recording 11 kills and 11 digs on the night. Alyse Drifka nearly recorded her fifth double-double of the season, notching eight digs and 11 assists. Julia Treichel notched seven kills and seven digs, while Grace Beekman and Nicole Kijowski each amassed seven digs of their own. Annie Ellis led the team with a .312 hitting percentage (6-1-16).

The Beacons (8-2), who had swept Western Illinois in the afternoon match, have clinched the tournament title with a 2-0 weekend record. The Cougars, who fall to 2-8 on the season, will close out non-conference play tomorrow at noon when they host Western Illinois. The match will be streamed live on ESPN+ and tickets are available online or at the door. 

ST. JOHN'S 3, AUSTIN PEAY 0; WESTERN KENTUCKY 3, AUSTIN PEAY 0
BOWLING GREEN, Ky. –
Austin Peay State University's volleyball team fell in straight sets to St. John's University and the nationally-ranked Western Kentucky Hilltoppers in its first day at the WKU Volleyball Invitational, Friday, at E.A. Diddle Arena.

Outside hitter Brooke Moore led the Govs with 18 kills on the day. Her 10 kills against the Hilltoppers marked the seventh time this season and 73rd time in her career that the fifth year has reached the double-digit mark in a match.

Austin Peay will be back in action at the WKU Volleyball Invitational with a 3:30 p.m., contest tomorrow against Ohio. The Bobcats are 0-9 on the season and play Lipscomb at 11:30 a.m. prior to their contest against the Govs.

Set-by-Set Recap vs. St. John's

Austin Peay (5-5) and St. John's had a back-and-forth battle in a first set where the score was tied 12 times, but the Red Storm took the match's opening set in a 26-24 overtime victory.

After trailing 13-6 midway through the second set, a Brooke Moore kill followed by an Elizabeth Wheat service ace sparked a 9-2 Govs' run that tied the score at 15-15. However, a late push by SJU extended its lead with a 25-20 set victory.

St. John's controlled momentum in the third and final set, resulting in the Govs dropping their first match of the WKU Volleyball Invitational, 25-20. 

Freshman outside hitter Elizabeth Wheat lead the Govs with nine kills, followed by graduate student Brooke Moore's eight.

Junior Kelsey Mead led the Govs with 15 assists against St. John's.

The Govs posted a .078 hitting percentage against the Red Storm, their lowest mark of the season to that point.

Set-by-Set Recap vs. St. John's

Austin Peay (5-6) found themselves down 18-9 in the first set following a 6-0 run by Western Kentucky, but fought back to trim the deficit to 21-16. The late comeback effort fell short however, as the Hilltoppers took the set 25-18.

Western Kentucky jumped out to a commanding 9-3 lead to start the second set and carried that lead wire-to-wire in a 25-16 second-set victory.

Despite being down 2-0, the Govs refused to throw in the towel during the third set. The Govs mounted a commanding 8-0 run midway through the set to take a 14-8 lead, but the hosting 'Toppers answered back with a 10-2 run of their own. With that comeback effort, WKU took the third set 25-23.

The Govs once again posted their lowest hitting percentage of the season against Western Kentucky posting a .042 mark.

SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 3, TULSA 1; SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 3, SOUTHERN ILLINOIS 0
CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo.  -
 Southeast Missouri women's volleyball (8-3) opened its second-straight home tournament with a pair of victories over Tulsa (4-4) and Southern Illinois (5-7). SEMO commenced the 2021 Redhawks Invitational with a 3-1 triumph (25-21, 16-25, 25-17, 25-9) over Tulsa before sweeping border rival, SIU, 25-17, 25-18, 25-11, in the night cap.
 
SEMO hit a .307 in the opener with Tulsa before a season-high .355 in the Redhawks third 3-0 sweep in 2021 over Southern Illinois.
 
SEMO notched a season-best 12 aces in the evening meeting with SIU.
 
SEMO 3, Tulsa 1
 
Southeast Missouri opened its Redhawk Invitational, SEMO's second straight home tournament with a 25-21, 16-25, 25-17, 25-9 win over Tulsa in the morning.
 
Laney Malloy led the offense with 23 kills and 10 digs to go along with two aces and two assists on a .457 hitting clip. Zoey Beasley chipped in 14 kills on a .300 rate while Colby Greene finished with 11 kills on a .269 hitting percentage.
 
SEMO hit .307 in the match. Claire Ochs ran the offense, tallying 53 assists and 11 digs.
 
The Redhawks started the contest with a 9-4 advantage in the opening set after kills by Malloy, Beasley and a block assist by Claire Ochs and Talia Gouard.
 
Beasley added a kill before a rally stopper from Ochs after a Golden Hurricane error to push the advantage to 19-13.
 
Kayley Cassaday posted a kill and then a service ace to cut the Redhawk lead to 23-21.
 
Malloy then secured the opening set with a pair of kills as SEMO took the frame, 25-21. She finished with six while Beasley added four in the set.
 
The Redhawks started the second stanza fast with a 4-1 edge before a 6-0 run by Tulsa shifted the advantage to 9-5 in favor of the Golden Hurricane.
 
Cassaday then hit a trio of kills before a rally stopper by Aysu Dalogullari to extend Tulsa's margin to 19-14.
 
The Golden Hurricane closed the set on a 6-1 run to even the match at 1-1 after a 25-16 second frame. Tulsa hit at a stellar rate of .528 with 20 kills and one error. Cassaday had six of those rally stoppers during set #2.
 
SEMO continued its trend of opening a set fast, commencing the third stanza 5-1. Three straight kills from Gouard, Malloy and Beasley grew to lead to 10-6.
 
The Redhawks added a 3-0 rally to widen the gap to 17-11. Malloy and Greene slammed kills to bookend an Ally Dion ace.
 
Tulsa responded with a 4-0 run to cut into the SEMO margin, 17-15.
 
Dalogullari notched a kill before a 6-1 rally secured the set for the Redhawks. Ochs finalized the frame with a kill, 25-17. SEMO notched a .359 hitting percentage before concluding the match with a .520 in the fourth.
Malloy smacked eight kills in the third frame.
 
SEMO started final set with an 8-4 edge that moved to 12-5 after a 3-0 run. 
 
The Redhawks then pushed their advantage to 17-7 after kills by Greene (2) and Malloy (2).
 
SEMO conclude the frame on an 8-1 run to capture the match 25-9.
 
Tara Beilsmith paced the defense with 18 digs and three assists. Ally Dion chipped in 17.
 
The Redhawks outscored Tulsa, 71.0-55.0. SEMO notched six aces compared to the Golden Hurricane's two.
 
Dion and Kayla Closset each tallied two aces.
 
Tulsa out blocked SEMO, 7-4.
 
SEMO 3, SIU 0
 
The Redhawks closed out the first day of the Redhawks Invitational with their third 3-0 sweep of the 2021 season over border rival, Southern Illinois.
 
Malloy paced the offense with 11 kills. Beasley added six while Gouard, Moylan and Greene each chipped in five. The Redhawks hit a season-best .355 including a match-best .571 in the first stanza.
 
SEMO jumped out to an 8-2 lead in the first frame. Malloy and Ochs notched consecutive kills to extend the advantage to 16-11.
 
Beasley slammed a kill to push the edge to 20-15.
 
The Redhawks claimed a 1-0 advantage with a 3-0 run, 25-17. The Salukis hit a pair of errors to bookend a block assist by Ochs and Gouard.
 
SEMO then notched a .353 pace in the second frame. The set featured seven ties and three lead changes.
 
Beasley registered a pair of kills before a block assist from Moylan and Ochs to provide the Redhawks a slight 8-7 lead.
 
Greene then tallied a rally stopper before an Ally Dion service ace to make the advantage to 15-12 heading into the media timeout.

Ochs and Malloy had kills to sandwich a Salukis error to distance itself from SIU, 18-13.
 
The Redhawks utilized a 4-0 run to take a 22-14 lead. Gouard and Malloy each had kills before consecutive aces from Megan Harris. Harris finished with a career-best two aces.
 
A block assist from Greene and Moylan brought on set point at 24-16. Moylan claimed the set with a kill, 25-18.
 
The Redhawks jumped out to an 11-6 lead in the third frame after a 5-0 rally. Greene and Moylan knocked kills before a Kayla Closset ace followed by a block assist from Iowans Greene and Moylan.
 
SEMO continued to widen the margin to 18-7 with a 7-0 run. Greene slammed a kill before three straight aces from Tara Beilsmith.
 
Beilsmith added a fourth ace during the sequence and tied a career-best five aces in the match.
 
SEMO finished the match on a 7-2 run to claim the third set, 25-11. Izzy Lukens placed back-to-back aces after a kill by Malloy and a block assist by Gouard and Greene.
 
Ochs dished out 29 assists with four kills and two blocks.
 
The Redhawks tallied a season-best 12 aces. SEMO notched a program-best 17 against Tennessee Tech on Sept. 24, 1994.
 
Beilsmith added 15 digs to complement a career-best matching five aces. Dion, Lukens, Harris each had two while Closset posted one.
 
SEMO out blocked the Salukis, 7-2. Greene had five while Gouard finished with four. Moylan added three.

Head coach Julie Yankus registered her third win over her former school. Yankus served as SIU's associate head coach from 2007-2010.   
 
SEMO wraps up the 2021 Redhawk Invitational and its non-conference slate Saturday against Central Arkansas. First serve is set for 3 p.m., CT at Houck Field House.