Ohio Valley Conference

COOKEVILLE, Tenn. - Southeast Missouri State (9-6, 2-1 OVC) defeated Tennessee Tech (5-10, 2-1 OVC) in four sets on Thursday night at the Eblen Center, taking the match 23-25, 25-23, 25-22, 25-20.

SEMO capitalized on a strong serving performance with nine aces to secure the second Ohio Valley Conference victory of the season. 

Tennessee Tech opened with a service ace from Marin Johnson, establishing an early lead. Southeast Missouri State responded with a service ace by Bella Powell, leveling the score at 3-3. The set saw a back-and-forth battle, highlighted by kills from Audrey Berkebile and Bella Powell. Alayna Pierce's back-to-back kills clinched the set for the Golden Eagles, 25-23.

The Golden Eagles started strong with a kill by Ava Schubert from Jordan Karlen, setting an early tone. Southeast Missouri State responded with a pair of kills from Marin Johnson, leveling the score and shifting momentum. Alayna Pierce kept the Golden Eagles in the contest with multiple kills, maintaining a narrow lead throughout the middle of the set. Southeast Missouri State closed the set with a decisive 3-0 run, including a block by Kara Oxenknecht and Ramiri Gardner, securing the set 25-23.

The Golden Eagles gained early momentum with a 6-3 lead, highlighted by two kills from Alayna Pierce and a service ace from Ella Watford. Southeast Missouri State responded with a four-point run, including a service ace by Ellie Burns and a kill from Ramiri Gardner, to take an 8-6 lead. A critical service ace by Lucy Arndt extended Southeast Missouri State's advantage to 13-10, marking a pivotal shift in the set. Kara Oxenknecht and Lucy Arndt combined for a decisive block to help Southeast Missouri State close out the set 25-22.

Southeast Missouri State started strong with consecutive kills by Kara Oxenknecht and Avery Torrey, taking a 2-0 lead. Lucy Arndt contributed significantly with a kill and back-to-back service aces, extending the lead to 10-7. The Golden Eagles narrowed the gap to 20-18 with a service ace by Bella Powell, but Southeast Missouri State responded with an Arndt kill. The set concluded with a service ace from Marin Johnson, securing Southeast Missouri State's 25-20 victory.

LINDENWOOD 3, UT MARTIN 0
ST. CHARLES, Mo. - The Lindenwood women's volleyball team (5-6, 1-2 OVC) opened their home schedule with a 3-0 win over UT Martin (1-13, 0-3 OVC) in Hyland Arena on Thursday evening.

Lindenwood started strong, building up a seven-point lead midway through the opening set. However, the Skyhawks outscored the Lions 14-6 on their way to taking a 24-23 lead. LU denied two Martin set point opportunities before dropping a set point of their own to bring the score to 26-26. The teams then traded punches before the Lions eventually took the set 31-29 behind back-to-back kills by Ashley Geluck.

Lindenwood led for the entirety of the second set after taking an early 4-3 lead despite the Skyhawks pulling within one point on multiple occasions. Autumn Bax led the Lions with four kills in the set.

LU completed the sweep in the third set, overcoming an early two-point deficit. With the frame tied 21-21 late, the Lions closed out the set on a 4-0 run to secure their first OVC win of the season.

Two Lindenwood hitters posted double-digit kills, including Autumn Bax with 15 and Ashley Geluck with 11. Bax also added 10 digs for a double-double.

Meanwhile, Greta Shadewald recorded a new season-high of 37 assists while Dana Grib led the LU defense with 21 digs.