SATURDAY'S SCORES
Southeast Missouri 3, @Morehead State 0 (27-25, 25-19, 25-17)
@SIUE 3, Southern Indiana 2 (25-19, 27-29, 25-19, 23-25, 15-10)
@Tennessee Tech 3, UT Martin 2 (25-21, 20-25, 14-25, 25-21, 15-13)
@Tennessee State 3, Little Rock 1(27-25, 25-27, 25-13, 25-18)
Eastern Illinois 3, @Lindenwood 0 (25-15, 25-23, 25-15)
SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 3, MOREHEAD STATE 0
MOREHEAD, KY. - Southeast Missouri women's volleyball (15-15, 10-8 OVC) wrapped its 2022 regular-season with a 3-0 sweep (27-25, 25-19, 25-17) of Morehead State (14-15, 10-8 OVC) Saturday afternoon in the series finale at Johnson Arena.
With the win, SEMO tied for third in the 2022 Ohio Valley Conference standings with Morehead State and split the regular-season series with the Eagles. The Redhawks will next compete in the 2022 OVC Championship Tournament this upcoming week at top seed and 2022 OVC Regular Season Champion UT Martin.
Kayla Closset led the Redhawks offense Saturday with 14 kills and 13 digs with an ace for her fourth-consecutive double-double. Zoey Beasley added 12 kills.
SEMO utilized a 3-0 run to take a 15-9 lead in the opening set.
The Eagles cut the edge to 18-17 to prompt a Redhawks timeout.
Closset posted a service ace after a Morehead State error to bring on set point at 24-20. She had five kills in set #1 followed by Colby Greene's four (.250).
The Eagles responded with five-straight points for a 25-24 lead before the Redhawks took a 1-0 lead after a 27-25 frame.
Beasley slammed a kill before consecutive aces by Kalia Morris sealed the set for SEMO.
The Redhawks then jumped out to a 5-1 lead in the second stanza that grew to 10-2.
An 8-0 rally pushed the SEMO margin to 19-5. The Redhawks hit a match best .378 in the period Saturday.
Greene registered a solo block to make the score 23-13 before three-straight points by the Eagles brought on a SEMO timeout.
Beasley knocked a kill out of the stoppage for set point (24-17) before Kaelyn O'Brien tallied a leftie kill from Jenny Shook to increase the SEMO lead to 2-0 (25-19).
Closset had six kills during the middle frame Saturday on a .417 clip while Beasley had four (.333). Lexie Smith chipped in three (.750) and finished Saturday with six.
In the third frame, SEMO rallied off four-straight points for a 15-10 advantage at the media break. Izzy Lukens notched a kill after three MSU miscues.
Closset then added a kill to put the Redhawks up 17-13 before a 5-0 rally widened the gap to 22-15.
Beasley posted two more kills to secure the Redhawk victory, 25-17.
Greene compiled seven kills Saturday.
Lukens dished out 27 assists with 11 digs and a career-high five kills
Tara Beilsmith, the reigning OVC Defensive Player of the Week, had 19 digs and nine assists with two aces. Shook finished with 12 digs and four assists. Addy McAleer added three digs and Morris had two to go with her two aces.
SEMO hit .260 Saturday compared to Morehead State's .175.
SIUE 3, SOUTHERN INDIANA 2
EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. - Sydney Hummert and Julia Treichel led the SIUE attack with 15 kills each in the win over Southern Indiana on Saturday afternoon at First Community Arena. The Cougars needed all five sets to down the Screaming Eagles, with set scores of 25-19, 27-29, 25-19, 25-23, and 15-10.
Savannah Christian and Ainsley Ranstead also added double-digit kills for the Cougars with 11 each.
Nicole Kijowski paced the SIUE defense with a team-high 20 digs in the match. Hummert added 16 digs for SIUE, finishing the match with a double-double. She also co-led SIUE with three service aces. Jessica Vineyard added three as well.
Setting the Cougars' attack were Caroline Waite and Alyse Drifka. Waite finished the match with a team-best 29 assists while Drifka dished out 27. Drifka also finished the match with a double-double, adding 14 digs.
Three athletes in the class of 2023 were honored in the Senior Day ceremony before the match: Jessica Vineyard, Caroline Waite, and Nicole Kijowski.
TENNESSEE TECH 3, UT MARTIN 2
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. - Sure will and determination provided the Tennessee Tech volleyball team with a storybook Senior Day Saturday afternoon, as the Golden Eagles (17-13, 14-4) battled back from a 2-1 deficit to defeat Ohio Valley Conference regular-season champion UT Martin, 3-2, in the final match in the Hooper Eblen Center this season.
Closing the regular season on a high note, the purple and gold will head into the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament next week as the league's No. 2 seed, squaring off with a No. 7 seed that will be determined in Saturday evening's match-up between Lindenwood and Eastern Illinois. Play will begin next Thursday in Martin, Tenn. with the Skyhawks playing host through Saturday's championship match.
Tech's victory over UT Martin marked just the third in OVC play for the visitors in 2022 and provided the Golden Eagles their best win totals in both regular-season and league action since finishing 19-13 and 14-4 during 2008's title run.
The match started out in Tech's favor, with the home squad breaking a 10-10 tie and never looking back. The Cookeville crew moved out by as much as five and secured a 1-0 lead in the match with a 25-21 opening-set win.
Both sides saw their respective offenses excel in the second set, with the Skyhawks hitting .400 with 16 kills to Tech's 14 terminations on a .379 attack. UT Martin had control of the set most of the way, taking over the lead at 8-7 and never relinquishing it on its way to a 25-20 win to even the match.
Set three was all UT Martin, using an early 6-0 run to push out to a comfortable spot. Tech never really got its footing in the set, falling 25-14 while the Skyhawks hit at a .407 efficiency. UTM also held the purple and gold to a -.037 hitting percentage in the set.
It was a back-and-forth affair early in the fourth set, with neither side scoring more than two straight until the Skyhawks made a run after evening things at 12-12. A five-point streak helped UT Martin push out front and maintain a strong advantage up to a 19-14 lead.
Though the Skyhawks looked well on their way to their ninth-straight win, the Golden Eagles found a zone, dialed in, and attacked. Back-to-back points pulled Tech within three before the visitors answered with what appeared to be two points of their own.
Tech head coach Jeannette Phillips opted to challenge the second point, successfully overturning the call and turning a could-be five-point deficit into three. A service error by the Golden Eagles provided the Skyhawks their final mark of the set, as the Cookeville crew unleashed eight consecutive points to stun visitors, 25-21, and force a fifth game.
Defensive specialist and Tech Athletics' Unsung Leader for October, Olivia Taylor, led the attack from the serving line, forcing a UT Martin timeout when her service ace cut the visitor lead to 21-19. Middle blocker Skylar Boom lived up to her name on the next two points, rejecting one attack by herself before pairing with right side Morgan Gish for a block assist to even the match at 21-21.
An error by the UT Martin attack prompted its second timeout after giving Tech the lead. The Golden Eagles came out of the break with a gift for the Skyhawks courtesy of Brooke Amann, burying her one of her seven kills in the match. Gish followed with another termination to bring up set point before an attack error by the visitors ended it.
The fifth set was another thriller, coming down to the wire with neither side boasting more than a one-point edge until the Golden Eagles scored three straight while trailing 7-6. Tech extended the lead to three at 11-8 before UTM called for time.
UT Martin rebounded with a 5-1 run, taking a 13-12 advantage into Tech's final timeout of the match. Gish delivered a monster kill after the break, squaring things once more before Amann put the Golden Eagles back on top for good with her seventh termination.
One final timeout by the Skyhawks only delayed the inevitable, as Boom dropped the hammer for her fifth kill of the match to seal the incredible comeback.
During the match, rookie setter Jordan Karlen made history by breaking Kappy Lang's (2005-08) program record for assists as a freshman, piling up 50 more to finish the regular season with 1,063 helpers. She also racked up a team-high 16 digs for her 10th double-double of the season and chipped in two aces, a block, and a kill.
Gish led the match with a season-high 17 kills and added three total blocks to the effort. Libero McKenna Young picked up 15 more digs for the defense while fellow defensive specialist Aleeya Jones delivered 10 and a pair of aces. Taylor and Amann both collected two aces, with Amann adding nine digs as well.
Outside hitter Madolyn Isringhausen turned in her 10th double-double or better this season – the sophomore also has a triple-double – after registering 13 kills and 12 digs.
Oatis tallied three kills and a dig while Furtado racked up four terminations and five digs. Dorsey produced when it counted all day, finishing her final match in the Eblen Center with 10 kills and four total blocks. The middle broke the program's all-time career block assists record Friday evening and moved to within 30 of the Golden Eagle career mark for total blocks, currently held by Stephanie Busch with 548.
TENNESSEE STATE 3, LITTLE ROCK 1
NASHVILLE, Tenn. - The Tennessee State University Tiger volleyball team won a tough match in four sets (27-25, 25-27, 25-13, 25-18, 25-18) over the Little Rock Trojans Saturday at Kean Hall.The victory improved the Tigers' record to 17-15 overall and 11-8 in OVC play.
The Tigers offense was paced by Johanna Alcantara, who finished with 18 kills on the day. Aleksandra Rojecka added 11 and Kennedy Davis chipped in with 10 as part of balanced Tennessee State attack.Also, Carla Boudal also pitched in with three kills and five aces in the contest. They were set up by Sofia Garcia-Guerrios' 34 assists along with Login Williams' 12. Defensively, had three players reach double figures in digs, including Gina Rivera-Ortiz's 28, 14 from Boudal, and 14 more from Garcia-Guerrios giving her a double-double. From the front row, Gabrielle Johnson contributed five blocks.
SET 1 | The Tigers came out on top of a tight first set, winning 27-25 in a stanza that was tied six times and had two lead changes. got a solid defensive performance from a front row that blocked five Little Rock attacks in the stanza. Little Rock fought back from a six point deficit to force deuce. Celestial Miller was clutch in the set with two kills and a .667 hitting percentage. Garcia-Guerrios had nine helpers in the set.
SET 2 | TSU dropped set two 27-25 to even the match 1-1. The Tigers fell in a close second set, losing in a stanza that was tied seven times and had two lead changes. Rojecka kept the Tigers in the set with four kills. Garcia-Guerrios had 14 assists.
SET 3 | The Tigers fought back following the second-set loss to grab set three and a 2-1 lead in the match. TSU grabbed control of the set early when the score was 6-5 and held the lead the rest of the way to win 25-13. The Tigers ended on a strong note, opening up its biggest lead of the stanza, 12 points, to finish off the set.
SET 4 | TSU kept the momentum going, claiming the match win with a 25-18 fourth-set victory. The Tigers led from the first point on in the set to secure the victory. Tennessee State opened up as much as a nine point lead at 22-13 before closing out the stanza. TSU also supplemented their offense with five aces in the set.
EASTERN ILLINOIS 3, LINDENWOOD 0
ST. CHARLES, Mo. - Eastern Illinois volleyball (16-15, 10-8 OVC) win the regular season finale for the 2022 season by sweeping Lindenwood (11-16, 8-10 OVC) in three sets. EIU is locked in as the four seed for the upcoming Ohio Valley Conference tournament next week.
The set scores tonight were: 15-25, 23-25, 15-25, EIU and Lindenwood split their first two meetings after Lindenwood won the first match. With 16 wins, the Panthers have their most regular season wins since the 2015 season. It is also their most OVC wins since 2015.
The offense was firing on all cylinders Saturday evening as EIU posted 44 kills on a .402 hitting percentage. Giovana Larregui Lopez led the way with a match high 16 kills while also picking up five service aces in the win.
Eastern Illinois only had nine attack errors in three sets on 87 attempts while Lindenwood posted 10. The Lions also had success at the net with 34 kills on a .258 hitting percentage. They were held to a .051 percentage in the final set.
Lilli Amettis was second on the team with nine kills while OVC kills leader
Kaitlyn Flynn tailed eight in the sweep. Kate Dean (five kills) and
Ireland Hieb (four kills) also helped guide EIU to their final regular season win.
Catalina Rochaix was the leading setter in the match for both teams after posting 33 assists of EIU's 44 kills. The Panthers offense had assists on 43 of 44 kills in the match. EIU also had success from the service line with nine aces including three from
Christina Martinez Mundo.
Martinez Mundo was also the leading defender for the Panthers with 14 digs in three sets. Not only was she a factor in keeping the offense alive, she also picked up seven assists for a season high. Hieb, Flynn, and Amettis all earned a block solo against Lindenwood.
The Panthers controlled sets one and three after posting at least 12 kills in both sets. In set two, Lindenwood was up 21-17 towards the conclusion of the set but EIU battled back with a match high 17 kills to take the set.
The Lindenwood Lions were led by Mackenzi Sifuentes on offense with 11 kills while Madilyn Dement added 10 for the Lions. Setter Abby VanBuskirk chipped in a team high 30 assists in the loss. Four Lions had at last three digs including five from VanBuskirk. Lindenwood will be the seven seed in the OVC tournament.