Ohio Valley Conference

BOSTON - Lindenwood women's volleyball (2-3, 0-0 OVC) suffered two losses on Friday at their second pre-season tournament of the season with a five-set loss against Florida Gulf Coast and a 3-0 loss to the host school Northeastern. 

Friday's first match saw the Lions fall in a back-and-forth match against Florida Gulf Coast in five sets. Lindenwood was out-dueled in the final set dropping their first match in Boston. The set scores were: 25-19, 16-25, 27-25, 19-25, 13-15.
 
Lindenwood's Addy McAleer led the team in kills with 16 and attempts with 55. It marked the third time in four matches McAleer has had double-digit kills. Both of Lindenwood's middles Ashley Geluck (13) and Rebecca Janke (10) also had double-digit kills.
 
Setter Allie Otten continued her hot start to her final season at LU with 47 kills. Otten has gone over 45 assists three times this season, a feat she accomplished only three times in 2023. She also added 13 digs in the loss marking her fourth straight double-double.
 
Lindenwood took the first set convincingly with a 25-19 win. The Lions came out swinging posting 14 kills on a .313 hitting percentage. After being tied at 14-14, LU went on a 8-3 run to go up 22-17. McAleer had five kills in set one.
 
FGCU took set two by a score of 16-25 and held the Lions to a .088 hitting percentage. LU had six attack errors in the set compared to one by FGCU. Lindenwood responded in the third making a late comeback after being down 17-23. LU rattled off a 7-1 run to tie the match at 24 all. McAleer ended the set with an ace.
 
After FGCU tied the match in the fourth set, Lindenwood started the fifth hot on a 7-1 run. Florida Gulf Coast stormed back, eventually tying the set at 12-12. LU went up 13-12 but the Eagles ended the match scoring the final two points to secure the first win of the tournament.

Lindenwood ended Friday's slate with a 3-0 loss in front of the home crowd of Northeastern. The Lions' offense surrendered 29 attack errors while hitting .109 in the loss. The Huskies were also able to post 11 blocks to just six by Lindenwood.

McAleer and Nyah Wilson were the two Lions in double figures with McAleer leading the way with 12 and Wilson posting 10. Lindenwood's outside duo struggled in the match combining for 19 errors.

Freshman Autumn Bax started her first match in a Lindenwood uniform and posted a career-high seven kills on 17 swings. Ashley Geluck also had four kills in the middle while Rebecca Janke added three. Otten led the team in assists with 31 while also posting nine digs.

Libero Jessie Seidel had her second most digs during this young season with 21 against Northeastern. As a team, Lindenwood posted 52 digs to just 46 by the Huskies. LU also had more kills on Friday with 42 compared to 36 but posted 18 more attack errors.

TENNESSEE TECH 3, CHARLOTTE 0
TENNESSEE TECH 3, CHARLOTTE 2
CHARLOTTE, N.C. - History continued to unfold for the Tennessee Tech volleyball team on Friday, as the Golden Eagles extended their undefeated set streak to start the 2024 season on their way to a pair of victories at the Charlotte Invitational.

The purple and gold (5-0) made it 12 consecutive set wins to open the year, locking down its fourth consecutive sweep to start the season with a 3-0 decision over host Charlotte (2-5). While the streak ended in the team's second match-up of the day against Towson (5-1), the Golden Eagles continued their unbeaten mark by gutting out a 3-2 victory. The Cookeville crew handed the Tigers, who came into the game 119-17 since 2019, their first loss of the year as well.

Tech's five straight wins to kick off the 2024 campaign tied for the most by the program since winning its first five matches in 2000. The lone squad to capture more consecutive wins to start a year was the 1983 team, which began the year with seven dubs in a row.

It was quick work by the purple and gold to start the day, taking the opening set from the host 49ers in commanding fashion, 25-16. Tech rolled to a .500 hitting percentage and a whopping 17 kills in the game, blasting out front immediately and never looking back.

Set two sent very similar for the Golden Eagles, topping Charlotte 25-16 again with 15 terminations before securing the victory with a 25-20 win in the third set with 14 more kills. In unsurprising fashion, junior setter Jordan Karlen directed the potent Tech attack, piling up 35 assists across the three sets while posting her second double-double of the season with 11 digs.

Senior outside hitter Madolyn Isringhausen set the tone on offense, leading all players with 13 kills while chipping three service aces and five digs. Fellow outside Bella Powell delivered a special performance, rocking 12 terminations on a robust .611 attack percentage.

Rookie middle blocker Mallory Jenkins smashed .692 with nine kills and a solo rejection while senior outside Brooke Amann tacked on seven kills and eight digs with a .400 attack. Senior libero McKenna Young rounded up eight digs and turned in three aces of her own.

The Golden Eagles dug deep in the match with the Tigers, dropping their first set of the season in the opener in a game that saw neither side take larger than a two-point lead until the final score of 25-22. Tech rebounded with 14 kills and a .353 hitting percentage to even things up with a 25-15 set-two win.

In set three, the purple and gold struggled to find its footing on offense and Towson took control, moving in front 2-1 with a 25-19 win. The Golden Eagles bounced back again, ratcheting up 14 more terminations with a .303 attack while cruising to a match-tying, 25-15 win.

Towson looked well on its way to a fifth-set win after moving in front, 12-8, late, but Tech never lost faith and battled its way back into the thick of it. Facing match point and behind 14-12, the purple and gold gathered back-to-back kills from freshman outside Alayna Pierce and Isringhausen, squaring the match at 14-all.

After the two sides traded points, the Tigers made costly mistakes on the final two possessions, including a service error and a bad set, to send the Golden Eagles into the win column. Tech's defensive pressure helped the cause, with the Golden Eagles loading up 11 blocks on the day.

Isringhausen was again special for the Cookeville crew, piling up a career-high 25 kills while hitting .375 with three more service aces. She chalked up a season-high 13 digs as well to earn her first double-double of the year.

Karlen doled out 49 more helpers to help keep the offensive machine moving in the right direction. She also turned in 13 digs for her second double-double of the day and third of the season. Young vacuumed up 26 digs to led the purple and gold while Amann added 10 more to along with eight kills and two aces.

Powell presented 10 kills to the mix while totaling three total blocks and Jenkins made three solo rejections with five kills. Pierce registered six kills while hitting .357 in just two sets, adding four digs, two blocks, and an ace for good measure. Senior middle Elena Wallace contributed three total blocks as well.

During the day, a pair of Golden Eagle veterans continued their climbs on the all-time career charts with the program. Karlen moved into eighth on the career list for assists, passing both Melanie Culp (2007-10) and Nancy Meyer (2002-05) with 2,360 so far.

Isringhausen cracked the top-10 career list for kills, tying Bonnie Zoss (1989-92) for 10th overall. She also climbed to eighth for career service aces, landing 121 in her time in the purple and gold to pass Dee Dee Malone (1988-90).

LITTLE ROCK 3, LOUISIANA TECH 0
LITTLE ROCK 3, RUTGERS 2
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. - Just when it looked like the Little Rock Volleyball team was going to suffer their first loss of the season, the Trojans dug deep Friday in their second match of the day and rallied to beat Big 10 opponent Rutgers in five sets during the Wooo Pig Invitational at Barnhill Arena. Little Rock (5-0) not only matched the best start to a season in program history (1998, 2008) but earned its first win over a Power 5 school since 2021 and just the second in the last 10 years.
 
Three individuals set new career-best marks during the upset over Rutgers, giving the Trojans at least a split of the three-day event on the campus of the University of Arkansas. Kaylee Smith (27 assists), Kaila Harris (15 kills) and Andrea Roman (7 assists) each set new single-game marks in what has truly become an eye-opening start to the 2024 season.
 
The Trojans certainly seized the moment Friday, rallying from a 2-1 deficit against the Scarlet Knights to win by scores of 21-25, 25-22, 19-25, 25-18, and 17-15 in a thrilling fifth set. Jeila Fullerton (18 kills, 12 digs) notched her fifth double-double in as many games, Smith had 12 digs to go with her 27 assists, and Dariana Valencia posted a double-double with 21 assists and 13 digs.
 
The contributions came from everywhere as Andrea Roman finished with 20 digs and two aces, Bella Cherry added nine kills, Sophia Garrido had nine kills on .304 hitting as well as a pair of blocks, and Vivian Lucumi had three kills and a block in her Little Rock debut. Fullerton reached 500 career kills with her first point of the contest.
 
The Trojans started the day with a three-set rout of Louisiana Tech, during which Little Rock hit .282 for the match and outpointed the Bulldogs 51-29 in kills. The Trojans opened a 2-0 lead with scores of 25-22 and 25-20, then obliterated La Tech in the third by a score of 25-11. The match had just three lead changes.
 
Fullerton put up 13 kills, 14 digs and a pair of blocks, while A'lanae Margaritha filled the stat sheet with six kills, seven digs, four blocks and three aces while hitting .545 percent. Again, contributions came from all over as Roman had 20 digs, Valencia finished with 26 assists and two aces, Cherry added 10 kills, Harris had eight kills, Smith added 15 assists and Garrido had nine kills while hitting .444 percent.

UT MARTIN 3, ARKANSAS-PINE BLUFF 0
NORTH ALABAMA 3, UT MARTIN 0
MARTIN, Tenn. - A pair of three-set decisions were in the cards for the University of Tennessee at Martin volleyball team today as the Skyhawks swept Arkansas-Pine Bluff (25-15, 25-17, 25-16) before falling in a close 26-24, 25-20, 25-23 decision against North Alabama on the first day of their home tournament.
           
UT Martin (2-3) displayed great offensive balance today, hitting .250 as a team while outscoring its two opponents by a 13-6 margin from the service line. Jenna Vallée led the way with 17 kills but was followed closely by Kristin Phillips (16), Kayla Bryant (15) and Kylie Surratt (15). Bryant hit a team-best .382 on the day with only two attack errors in 34 swings while Phillips also just committed two miscues in 38 tries for a .368 hitting percentage. Bryant also led the Skyhawks in service aces (four) while Katie Cruise accumulated 58 assists (9.67 per set).
           
On defense, Dylan Mott scooped up a team-best 27 digs (4.50 per set) while Addy Vaughn rejected a team-high five blocks (0.83 per set) today.
           
The Skyhawks hit .292 and held the visiting Lady Lions to an .094 attack percentage to make short work of Arkansas-Pine Bluff.
           
Four different Skyhawks (Vaughn, Bryant, Cruise, Surratt) accounted for the first four points of the match as UT Martin never trailed in the opening set. Bryant registered back-to-back kills and had a service ace in the span of five points midway through the stanza before Surratt's set-ending kill gave the Skyhawks their biggest lead of the set at 10 points. Bryant's four kills paced a UT Martin offense that hit .387 with 15 rally killers in the first set.
           
The second stanza was deadlocked at 10-all before the Skyhawks raced to the finish line with a 15-7 run. Bryant had four kills over a stretch of six UT Martin points before Phillips took over as she slammed down five kills out of the Skyhawks' final seven points of the set. The tandem of Bryant and Phillips each provided five kills apiece in the second stanza as UT Martin hit a sizzling .382 as a team.
           
The Skyhawks never trailed in the third set, unreeling the first seven points of the set to gain a considerable early edge. Vallée's fourth kill of the final stanza gave UT Martin an 11-2 advantage as the Skyhawks led by as many as 11 points down the stretch. Zara McCauley managed three kills in the final set alone in her UT Martin debut.
 
The two sides combined for 23 tie scores and 14 lead changes but the Lions came away with the three-set win in the second match of the day for both squads.
 
The Skyhawks led 10-4 in the first set but North Alabama took its first lead of the match at 17-16. Facing a 24-21 deficit, a Bryant kill and a pair of Lion errors helped even the score at 24-all but North Alabama recovered to score the final two points of the set. Vallée owned four of UT Martin's 11 kills in the opening stanza.
 
Surratt managed three straight points (a kill followed by back-to-back service aces) to help the Skyhawks get off to a good start in the middle set. UT Martin held a 12-8 advantage after three kills by Phillips in a four-point span but the Lions scored eight of the final 11 points of the set to go on top by a 2-0 margin. Phillips (five kills, .444 hitting percentage) and Cruise (11 assists) guided the Skyhawks in Set 2.
           
The third set featured 10 ties and eight lead changes alone. Two early Vaughn service aces nudged UT Martin ahead early before a Bryant rally killer made the score 17-13 in favor of the Skyhawks. Back-to-back kills from Surratt and Vaughn gave UT Martin a 21-20 advantage before North Alabama ended the set on a 5-2 run. The Skyhawks managed a .213 attack percentage (13 kills against just three errors) in 47 swings in the third set but could not extend the match.

EASTERN KENTUCKY 3, MOREHEAD STATE 1
MOREHEAD STATE 3, YOUNGSTOWN STATE 0
RICHMOND, Ky. - Eagles split on first day of Geri Polvino Invitational.

Sophomore setter Sydney Sennett produced her first career double-double with 16 assists and 12 digs, and senior libero Peighton Isley came up with 22 digs, but Morehead State volleyball fell victim to a stout defensive presence by Eastern Kentucky as the Colonels handed MSU a 3-1 defeat in MSU's first match in the Geri Polvino Invitational Friday at the Rick Erdmann Olympic Sports Training Center.

MSU slipped to 0-4 in 2024, while EKU moved to 2-2.

The home team registered 12 blocks, including 11 by middle Paige Wagers, and EKU also served up 12 aces as they won 25-19, 25-13, 20-25, 25-19.

Junior M.E. Hargan led the Eagles on offense with 13 kills, while sophomore Amelia Nott (10) and redshirt junior Sydney Wyman (10) also reached double figure terminations. Nott had her seventh career double-figure total, while Wyman was 10+ for the 12th time in her Eagle career.

In addition to her match-high in digs, Isley nearly had a double-double (which would have been the third of her career) with seven assists.

MSU totaled 47 kills and led both teams in digs, 68-63, but it was the service game and defense that lifted EKU to the win. MSU was limited to .153 attack efficiency and only could muster four blocks. 

Attacker Sarah Mitcell (14 kills, 12 digs) and setter Emilee Hill (22 assists, 11 digs) also had double-doubles.

The match was fairly well controlled by the winning team in each set. In all, there were only 11 ties and just two lead changes.

Sophomore Hollan Everett pounded down 15 kills as the Morehead State Volleyball team collected its first win of 2024 with a 3-0 sweep over Youngstown State Friday in the Geri Polvino Invitational at Eastern Kentucky's Rick Erdmann Olympic Sports Training Center.

MSU moves to 1-4, while YSU fell to 2-3.

Everett also hit .275 on a team-high 40 swings. The Eagles landed 46 kills to just 33 for the Penguins. Morehead State also had an advantage in digs, 70-65.

Senior libero Peighton Isley came up with a team best 18 digs, while junior M.E. Hargan nearly had a double-double with 15 digs and eight kills while also landing three aces on serves. Junior Sydney Wyman was efficient on offense as well, with seven kills and no mistakes for a .700 attack efficiency.

Setter Brenna Bommer also nearly registered a double-double as she had a team-best 19 assists and dug nine YSU attacks.

The Eagles controlled set one, only trailing twice. Set two became much more of a battle, with 14 ties and seven lead changes. Tied at 19-all, Everett had a pair of kills as MSU went on a quick 3-0 run to distance itself for the win. The teams tied five times in set three.

NORTHERN IOWA 3, SIUE 1
NORTH DAKOTA 3, SIUE 2
GRAND FORKS, N.D. - SIUE (1-4, 0-0 OVC) started off the weekend playing four sets against UNI (2-2,0-0 MVC). Later in the afternoon they went a full five sets against North Dakota (2-2, 0-0 MVC).
 
UNI took the first two sets against the Cougars (25-18, 25-15). SIUE fought back in the first set winning 25-20 before falling to the Panthers in the fourth set 25-13.
 
Women's Volleyball went on to play North Dakota later in the evening. The Fighting Hawks took the Course through all five sets. SIUE led with the first set winning 25-17. North Dakota fought back in the second 25-20 and the third 14-25. SIUE evened the score in the fourth set winning 27-25, before falling in the fifth 15-10. 

SOUTH DAKOTA STATE 3, WESTERN ILLINOIS 2
WESTERN ILLINOIS 3, PURDUE FORT WAYNE 1
MACOMB, Ill. - The WIU Volleyball team was back in action Friday, dropping the first game that they played 3-2 to South Dakota State and defeating Purdue Fort Wayne 3-1 in the final game of the night. 

The Leatherneck defense shined in their win over the Mastodons finishing with 9 total blocks, including 4 blocks in the first set and 3 blocks in the third set, both sets in which WIU won.

Karli Wenzel led the team in digs finishing with 21 digs against PFW and Juliana Schmidt led the teams in blocks with 2.5. Trailing 20-15 late in set one against Purdue Fort Wayne, Schmidt had a huge block that started a Leatherneck come back. That block led to a 9-4 run by WIU and gave them the first set win 26-24. PFW would respond in the second set winning the set 25-16. The third and fourth sets saw the Leathernecks keep their foot on the gas by taking leads late in both sets to give WIU the 3-1 victory. 

In the game against South Dakota State, WIU trailed 23-21 late in the first set. The Leathernecks would end the first set on a 4-0 run with multiple players contributing, including 2 kills from Elizabeth Ziegler to give WIU the win in the first set. The Jackrabbits would follow that up with back-to-back set wins to take a 2-1 set lead. In the fourth set, WIU would trail 11-3 to start the set. A Juliana Schmidt kill would spark a 7-0 Leatherneck run to cut the lead to one. The set would be close the rest of the way until a Keyana Cruse kill followed by a Karli Wenzel ace would give WIU a 22-18 lead and the Leathernecks would hang on to force a fifth set. The Jackrabbits would have a 5-0 run in the 5th set to go up 10-6 and the Leathernecks would drop the set 15-10. 

Keyana Cruse led the team in kills in both games, having 25 kills against the Jackrabbits and 21 kills against PFW. Cruse has had 20 or more kills in every game so far this season. Maggie Craker also had a good day offensively, leading the team in assists in both games, ending with 52 assists against SDSU and 47 assists against PFW. Craker has 182 assists over 4 games, 3 of which she has finished with 45 or more assists.

CHATTANOOGA 3, TENNESSEE STATE 2
BELMONT 3, TENNESSEE STATE 1
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. - The Tennessee State volleyball team dropped a pair of games on the opening day at the Chattanooga Classic on Friday afternoon. In the first contest, TSU fell 3-2 to the host Mocs and then 3-1 to Belmont. 

Tennessee State won the first two sets, but couldn't hang on and lost in five sets (26-24, 27-25, 16-25, 13-25, 8-15) Lady Mocs.

Jayla Holcombe finished with 14 kills on the day to lead the Lady Tigers attack while finishing with a hitting percentage of .344. Defensively, had two players reach double figures in digs as Hadley Pride had 18 and Janke Pretorius had 15. From the front row, Maygan Miller-Garcia contributed six blocks and Storm White added six rejections.

The Lady Tigers came out on top of a close first set, winning 26-24 in a stanza that was tied three times and had one lead change. got a solid defensive performance from a front row that blocked four Chattanooga attacks in the stanza.

Tennessee State took set two 27-25 to swiftly jump to a 2-0 lead. The Lady Tigers rallied after being down as many as eight points at 19-11 to win the set. Tennessee State grabbed the lead at 25-24 and hung on for the victory. The Tennessee State offense also got a boost from four aces in the stanza. Tennessee State's front row had a solid defensive performance, blocking four Chattanooga attacks in the stanza.

Chattanooga avoided a sweep with a set-three victory to make it a 2-1 match. The Lady Tigers dropped a tough set 25-16. Tennessee State trailed by as many as nine points as Chattanooga grabbed the advantage for good at 5-4 in a set that was tied up three times before the Lady Mocs took over the lead.

Tennessee State then dropped their second straight set 25-13 to brind the match level at two sets apiece. The Lady Tigers dropped the first point and never clawed back into the lead before falling in the set.

Tennessee State grabbed a 2-0 set lead, but dropped the next three sets on their way to losing the match. The Lady Tigers fell behind on the first point and never clawed back into the lead.

Tennessee State took the first set, but couldn't hold on and lost in four sets (26-24, 18-25, 15-25, 22-25) to the Bruins.

Jayla Holcombe finished with nine kills on the day to lead the Lady Tigers attack. got 13 digs from Hadley Pride along with five blocks from Maygan Miller-Garcia to lead them defensively.

The Lady Tigers endured a back-and-forth first set to win 26-24 in a stanza that featured three lead changes and was tied seven times. Neither team led by more than four points in the match. got a solid defensive performance from a front row that blocked four Belmont attacks in the stanza and capitalized on 11 Belmont attacking errors on the way to victory.

Tennessee State dropped set two 25-18 to even the match 1-1. Tennessee State trailed by as many as seven points as Belmont grabbed the advantage for good at 3-2 in a set that was tied up four times before the Bruins took over the lead.

Tennessee State then dropped their second set in a row, falling behind in the match two sets to one. The Lady Tigers lost a tough set 25-15. Tennessee State trailed by as many as 10 points as Belmont grabbed the advantage for good at 7-6 in a set that was knotted up three times before the Bruins took over the lead.

Tennessee State lost set four and the match, falling 25-22. Belmont grabbed the advantage for good at 15-14 and Tennessee State was never able to recover in a set that was tied up five times before the Bruins took over in the second half of the stanza.

SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 3, AUSTIN PEAY 1
MIDDLE TENNESSEE 3, SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 2
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. - Southeast Missouri volleyball (1-3) picked up the first win of the season with a 3-1 victory over Austin Peay (1-3) in the Middle Tennessee Tournament as Lucy Arndt & Abby Johnson finished with double-digit kills to power SEMO past the former Ohio Valley Conference member. Arndt finished with 10 kills on 36 total attacks as Johnson finished with 12 kills on 28 attacks. 
 
SEMO outhit the Governors significantly in the match with a .224 to .090 mark, including a season-high .571 hitting-percentage in the second set. 
 
Freshman setter Megan Holder dished out a season-best 24 assists in her second consecutive start for the Redhawks, on 62 total attempts (.387). Jenny Shook chipped in 15 assists of her own in the match. 
 
Defensively, SEMO finished with 10 team blocks, led by Alaina Lester with four block assists. Abby Johnson finished with three block assists as both finished with a solo block each. Libero Abbey Richman was active on the backline registering 22 digs. 

The Redhawks snatched the first set by a score of 25-21 behind four kills from Abby Johnson and three kills from Lucy Arndt as the duo was responsible for seven-of-10 Redhawk kills in the opening frame. 
 
SEMO closed the first set on a 3-0 run as Arndt recorded two service aces to close it out. 
 
The Redhawks took a 15-13 lead into the game's first media timeout after a kill from Johnson before taking a 16-13 lead after the break due to an APSU setting error. 
 
The Govs would go on a 6-2 run over the next eight points to take a 19-18 lead late in the set. Following a SEMO timeout, Arndt immediately stopped the scoring run to tie it at 19. 
 
Trailing 20-19 after an APSU kill, a service error from APSU followed by another Johnson kill make it 21-20 Redhawks. The score would get to 22 all before SEMO would close it out with three-straight points for the 25-22 set one win. 

SEMO dominated the second set to the tune of 25-8 over the Governors behind an impressive .571 hitting-percentage as a team. 
 
After Lucy Arndt's third service ace of the match, Alaina Lester picked up her second kill of the match to make it 17-6 Redhawks late in the frame. 
 
Back-to-back APSU errors made it 19-6 Redhawks before the Governors' Sarah Carnathan gave them their seventh point. Three-straight kills from Lester, Marin Johnson, and Abby Johnson put SEMO on a quick 3-0 run as SEMO cruised to the 25-8 set win. 
 
In comparison, APSU hit -.143 in the second set as the Redhawks offense was on fire through the first two frames. Abby Johnson led the way after two sets with six kills on 11 total attacks (.455). 
 
Freshman setter Megan Holder, making her second consecutive start in Friday's first match, had a team-high 12 assists through the first two sets. 

The Governors battled back to steal set three by a score of 25-23. The Redhawks led by as much as 18-10 in the third frame but five-straight points from APSU cut that to just 18-15. 
 
After a SEMO timeout, APSU gifted the Redhawks a point with their seventh service error of the match to give the Redhawks a 19-15 lead. 
 
Later in the set, a kill from Marin Johnson would give the Redhawks a one-point advantage, 23-22, before the Govs rattled off three in a row to win the set. APSU finished with a slight .167-.147 hitting advantage in the frame to extend the match to the fourth set. 
 
APSU rattled off the first four points of the set before Abby Johnson got into double-digits with her 10th kill of the match to halt a 4-0 run, to make the score 4-1 Governors. 
 
SEMO trailed 19-13 late in the fourth set before calling a timeout after a successful challenge from APSU. Three straight errors from APSU made it 19-16 to get SEMO back in the set. 
 
Trailing 20-16, a 3-0 run from the Redhawks via two-straight kills from Ramiri Garnder & Lucy Arndt, and an ace from Kayla Closset got the Redhawks to within a point. 
 
With the match tied at 22 a side, the Redhawks closed the match with a 3-0 run capped off by Abby Johnson's team-high 12th kill to take the set, 25-22.  
 
The Redhawks outhit the Governors .174 to .149 in the final frame, led by Ramiri Gardner with four kills in the set.

Southeast Missouri volleyball (1-4) fell in a five-set thriller on Friday night to Middle Tennessee (1-3) by a final score of 3-2 from Alumni Memorial Gym. The match was the first five-set match of the season for the Redhawks. 
 
SEMO won the first two sets 25-18 and 25-20, respectively, but the Blue Raiders won three-straight by scores of 25-23, 25-22, and 15-11. 
 
Four Redhawks finished in double-digits in the match with kills as Lucy Arndt (17), Abby Johnson (13), Marin Johnson (11), and Ramiri Gardner (10) led the SEMO offense. Arndt, Marin Johnson, and Abby Johnson all recorded season-bests for the category. 
 
As a team, SEMO hit .325 for the match with 61 kills, just 12 errors, on 151 total attempts compared to MTSU who hit .315. The Blue Raiders edged SEMO in kills with 74 on 165 total attempts. 
 
Junior setter Jenny Shook, who made the start in the second match of the day, finished with a double-double as she dished out a season-best 22 assists and recorded 14 digs. 
 
Freshman setter Megan Holder produced a career-best 26 assists. 
 
MTSU had four players finish in double-figure kills for the match led by Laure Jansen with 19. 
 
In the fifth set, the two teams traded points after MTSU opened with a 2-0 lead in the final frame. An attack error on MTSU's Adri Rhoda got SEOM on the board before two more points from MTSU made it 4-1. 
 
Lucy Arndt would register her 15th kill to cut the deficit to just two as the two teams battled to an 8-6 scoreboard as the teams flipped sides in the fifth set. 
 
Arndt's 16th & 17th kill would get the Redhawks to within a point at 10-9 & 12-11, but the Redhawks could never gain the lead as the Blue Raiders closed the match on a 3-0 run to win the match, 3-2.

EASTERN ILLINOIS 3, MEMPHIS 1
EASTERN ILLINOIS 3, JACKSON STATE 1
CARBONDALE, Ill. - The Eastern Illinois volleyball team (2-1, 0-0 OVC) won both of their matches on the opening day of the SIU Saluki Bash in Carbondale on Friday afternoon. The Panthers opened things up with a 3-1 win over Memphis (2-2, 0-0 AAC) before taking down Jackson State (3-3, 0-0 SWAC) by the same score.

In the weekend's opening set, the score stood at 10-10 before a 5-0 EIU run that featured three kills from Kaitlyn Flynn gave the Panthers a comfortable lead. The Tigers were able to pull back within two points, but came no closer as Eastern took a 25-21 victory to gain an early one set advantage.

The Panthers rode the early momentum to a dominant set two win, in which they led by as many as 15 points and won 25-11. Lilli Amettis led Eastern in the frame with five kills.

Memphis took a narrow 27-25 win in the third set, but EIU rolled to a 25-17 set four win to take the match. Flynn and Amettis led the Panthers attack with four kills apiece in the deciding set.

Kaitlyn Flynn led the EIU attack with 20 kills in the match for an average of 5.00 kills per set. She also led the team with five blocks while adding a pair of service aces.

Lilli Amettis was also in double digit kills with 15 terminations on a .333 hitting percentage. She also had a pair of blocks and a service ace.

Matilda Dahlström also had a nice outing with nine kills, two service aces, and seven digs.

Meanwhile, Catalina Rochaix handed out 45 assists for a per set average of 11.25. She also led the Panthers in digs with 16 to secure her first double-double of the season.

Laura Paniagua was the other Panther with double-digit digs, posting a career-high of 15 in the match.

In the day's second contest, the Panthers got out to another fast start with a convincing 25-17 win in set one. Kaitlyn Flynn kept her big day going with six kills in the frame.

In the second set, EIU fell behind 3-0 early, but used a quick 4-0 run to gain their first lead of the set. The teams would go on to trade a couple of lead changes on their way to a 21-21 tie late in the frame, but the Panthers powered through with a 4-1 run to close out the set and take a 2-0 lead in the match.

Jackson State punched back in set three with a 25-21 win to make the score 2-1. However, EIU responded in the fourth set, scoring six unanswered points midway through the frame to grab a commanding lead that they would not relinquish. The Panthers took a 25-17 win to secure their second victory of the day.

Kaitlyn Flynn was again at the forefront of the Panthers' attack with 12 kills on a .320 attack percentage. She was followed by Lilli Amettis and Ireland Hieb with nine kills each.

Catalina Rochaix posted another double-double with 41 assists (10.25 APS) and a team-leading 15 digs.

Julia Stanev led the match with four blocks, including a pair of solo efforts.

OHIO STATE 3, SOUTHERN INDIANA 1
GAINESVILLE, Fla. - University of Southern Indiana Volleyball battled Big Ten opponent Ohio State University to four sets, falling 3-1 (12-25, 25-23, 17-25, 24-26). USI earned their first power four conference set win in the second frame along with being inches away from forcing a fifth set.
 
The Screaming Eagles stumbled out of the gate struggling to defend the Buckeyes high-powered attack trailing 21-5. USI started to find themselves with the help of two explosive kills from senior Paris Downing (Avon, Indiana) and a service ace from freshman Kerigan Fehr (Fairbury, Illinois). However, the Buckeyes prevailed after firing home .393 percent of their attacks opposed to the Eagles .033.
 
USI bounced back in set two to shock the Buckeyes, 25-23. The two new Eagles, senior Jasmine Green (Rockwall, Texas) and sophomore Ashby Willis (Mount Carmel, Illinois) helped the Eagles build a 12-10 lead with seven total kills. The Buckeyes countered with a 5-0 run, taking a late 23-20 lead. USI refused to back down, converting the final five points of the match. Willis dominated with three straight kills, finishing the set with six. Fehr delivered another clutch service ace in an impressive performance by the freshman. USI minimized their mistakes with only two errors and a .387 hitting percentage.
 
The Buckeyes regained the lead after 18 kills on a match-high .389 hitting percentage as the Eagles fell, 17-25. Green totaled three early kills on perfectly placed assists from junior Keira Moore (Newburgh, Indiana) and senior Carly Sobieralski (Indianapolis, Indiana) to give USI the 12-11 lead. The Buckeyes ended the set on a 14-5 run to take a 2-1 set lead.
 
The Eagles came inches away from forcing a fifth set but fell 26-24 to conclude the match. USI made an early 5-0 run to lead 11-9. Sophomore Leah Coleman (Hoover, Alabama) contributed four early kills to fire up the Eagles. Ohio State countered with their own 5-0 run behind three-straight powerful service aces from preseason All-Big Ten nominee Emily Londot. The Buckeyes owned a 24-21 lead, before USI snatched three straight points to tie it. However, Ohio State earned the final two points to clinch the game.
 
Green led the Eagles in kills for the third time with 16. Sobieralski shinned passing out a team-leading 33 assists along with a recording a double-double at 12 digs. Defensively, Sobieralski led with 12 digs along with Moore and Willis also recording double-digit digs. Junior Bianca Anderson (Chicago Heights, Illinois), Sobieralski, and Downing all recorded three blocks each, while Fehr smashed a team-leading two service aces.
 
As a team, USI finished with 45 kills, 42 assists, 49 digs, 12 blocks, four service aces, and a .218 attacking percentage. Ohio State tallied 62 kills, 52 assists, 49 digs, ten blocks, 10 service aces, and a .282 hitting percentage. Tonight's narrow loss brings many positives and confidence built as USI looks forward to competing again tomorrow night against a nationally ranked squad.