CHICAGO - The Southeast Missouri volleyball team wrapped up the Loyola Invitational Friday defeating Bradley 3-2 and Alabama A&M 3-1. 

Against the Braves, SEMO went down two sets to none but won the third set 29-27, won the fourth set 25-22 along with the fifth set 15-13. In the fifth set SEMO was down 11-8 but won seven of the final nine points and won the match.

As a team, SEMO racked up 73 kills and carried a .281 hitting percentage along with seven aces and 11 blocks. The Redhawks held the Braves to a .225 hitting percentage and SEMO took advantage of 27 service errors. 

Southeast Missouri worked back from a 14-9 deficit in the first set to get within 16-14, with Lucy Arndt, Alaina Lester and Paige Smith recording kills before Ellie Burns' service ace. The Braves later moved ahead 24-19, but Lester's kill and a Smith/Katarina Miscevic block extended the set. The Braves closed it to take the set 25-21.

After falling behind 16-10, Southeast Missouri used kills from Marin Johnson, Arndt, Miscevic and Reagan Nelson to cut the Braves' lead to 20-18. Southeast Missouri continued to stay within reach, getting to 24-23 on another Nelson kill before the Braves took the set 25-23.

Southeast Missouri finished the third set by taking the final two points after a 27-27 tie, with Arndt and Nelson recording consecutive kills to close a 29-27 set win. Earlier, Southeast Missouri answered an 11-7 deficit by winning seven of the next eight rallies, including blocks involving Nelson, Miscevic, Johnson and Lester, to move in front 14-12.

Southeast Missouri answered a 22-20 deficit with the final five points to take the fourth set, 25-22. Nelson started the closing push with a kill, and Burns served the last four points as Johnson contributed two blocks in the finish. Earlier, Miscevic's service turn helped Southeast Missouri move from 10-9 down to a 15-10 lead, including two aces.

Southeast Missouri erased an 11-8 deficit in the fifth set, getting a Lester kill, a Braves attack error and a Nelson kill to pull even at 11-11. After the Braves moved ahead 12-11, Southeast Missouri scored four of the final five points, with Nelson adding a kill and Lester finishing the set with a kill from Megan Holder for a 15-13 win.

Against the Bulldogs, SEMO put down 52 kills and added 10 blocks en route to the win. Alabama A&M was held to a .138 hitting percentage compared to SEMO's .278.

Southeast Missouri answered a 19-18 deficit by moving ahead 23-20, with Alaina Lester, Reagan Nelson and Lucy Arndt contributing points in that stretch. The Bulldogs came back to lead 24-23, and Southeast Missouri twice tied the set on kills by Arndt and Nelson before the Bulldogs took the opener, 27-25.

Southeast Missouri broke open the second set from an 11-11 tie, scoring the final 14 points to win 25-11. Ellie Burns served the last 13 points and recorded aces at 13-11 and on the final point, while Nelson, Marin Johnson and Arndt added kills during the closing run.

Southeast Missouri erased a 20-21 deficit in the third set and won it 25-22, getting late kills from Johnson and Nelson before Johnson closed the set from Burns. Earlier, Southeast Missouri worked back from 9-14 with kills by Johnson, Lester and Nelson, then later moved from 13-15 to 18-16 with help from Alayna Christner and Sydney Miller kills.

Southeast Missouri broke open the fourth set with a seven-point run from 6-4 to 13-4, starting with a Miller kill before Arndt served six straight points. Nelson had three kills during that serving stretch, and Southeast Missouri later moved to set point with consecutive Bulldogs attack errors. Ava Mathews finished the set with a kill from Brooklyn Ritter for a 25-14 Southeast Missouri score.
 

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CAL POLY 3, EASTERN ILLINOIS 0
#21 INDIANA 3, EASTERN ILLINOIS 0
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - Eastern Illinois fell twice at the Indiana Classic, losing to receiving votes Cal Poly and #21 Indiana. EIU falls to 1-7 (0-0) on the season, while Cal Poly and Indiana both improve to 4-2 on the year.  

The Panthers held their own to open the match, narrowly falling 25-11 in a tightly contested first set. Eastern Illinois' offense was explosive, finishing the set with 14 kills and a season-best .379 hitting percentage. EIU jumped to an early 8-6 advantage before suffering 4-0 scoring. Both teams went point-for-points, knotted up at 17 a piece heading into the final stages of the set. Cal Poly kept the Panthers at arm's length, withstanding two separate EIU timeouts to close out the opening frame.  

Set two was unkind to the Panthers as their hitting percentage dropped to .000 with only seven kills. Cal Poly ran away with the set 25-10, using 15 kills and a .682 hitting percentage to face no trouble.  

The closeout set was very similar, with the Mustangs' high-powered offense smashing 14 kills with a .522 hitting percentage. Cal Poly dominated defensively, holding the Panthers to 11 kills with a .167 hitting percentage. EIU remained in the contest earlier on in set three, forcing a 12-12 tie. Unfortunately, Cal Poly remained out in front the rest of the way, closing out the third set 25-17.  

Emma Fredrick led the Mustangs offensively, with a match-high 17 kills, finishing with a .517 hitting percentage.  

For EIU, Peyton Castillo paced the match with 26 assists. Katie Kopshever was the only Panther in double-digit kills, finishing with 11.  

The Panthers opened their second match of the day's trading points but trailed heading into the media timeout 15-12. The Hoosiers sped away using a 4-0 scoring run to overpower EIU, winning set one 25-16. Indiana scored three or more consecutive points four times to speed past the Panthers.  

In set two, EIU kept themselves within striking distance but remained behind 15-10 at the break. In the late stages of the set, the Hoosiers separated, holding a seven-point lead, 21-14. The Panthers were unable to produce a late rally, falling 25-18. Offensively, the Panthers struggled, hitting .194 compared to Indiana's .365.  

Indiana left no doubt in the match, quickly pushing past the Panthers in the final set. After a Hoosiers' 4-0 scoring ended, Indiana exploded for a match-high 7-0 run to hold a 17-8 advantage. EIU was unable to cut the deficit, suffering another multiple-point scoring run, falling 25-13. 

Kopshever held her own offensively, producing 12 kills with a .269 hitting percentage and 12 total points. Castillo returned to the lineup after an injury, finishing with 25 assists. 

Jaidyn Jager was the engine of the Hoosiers' offense, recording a match-high 14 kills with a .429 hitting percentage. Defensively, Keondreya Granberry and Ella Boersema each recorded five blocks.
 

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SIUE 3, ARKANSAS-PINE BLUFF 0
SIUE 3, CHICAGO STATE 0
EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. - Recap coming soon.
 

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LINDENWOOD 3, PURDUE FORT WAYNE 0
NORMAL, Ill. - The Lindenwood women's volleyball team (6-2) got back in the win column with a 3-0 sweep against Purdue Fort Wayne (3-5) at day one of the Linda Herman Classic on Friday afternoon.

The Lions cruised to a 25-14 win in the opening set, recording 14 kills as a team on a .333 hitting percentage while limiting the Mastodons to just a .069 attack percentage. Lauren Ortwerth led Lindenwood in the frame with four kills.

Lindenwood led by just a point midway through the second set but went on a 6-1 run out of the media timeout to propel themselves to a 25-21 victory and take firm control of the match. Ortwerth and Susanna Beretti led the charge with four kills apiece in the frame.

The Lions used another strong finish in set three to clinch the sweep with a 25-20 win, outscoring the Mastodons 11-5 after trailing by a point at the media timeout. Susanna Beretti stayed hot with a team-leading five kills in the set as the Lions hit a combined .423.

Beretti finished the contest with 11 kills on a blistering .476 hitting percentage and has now recorded double-digit terminations in five of the Lions' seven games this season.

Lauren Ortwerth matched Beretti with 11 kills for her fourth double digit kills performance of the season. Kylee Richey also had a strong outing with nine kills on a .500 hitting percentage while adding two blocks.

Kaci Johnson continued to facilitate the Lindenwood attack with 31 assists for an average of 10.33 assists per set while Alayna Rudebeck led the team with nine digs and two service aces.
 

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SOUTHERN INDIANA 3, YOUNGSTOWN STATE 1
COLUMBUS, Ohio - University of Southern Indiana snapped a four-game losing streak with a four-set win over Youngstown State University to open the Sports Imports Classic at Ohio State University inside the Covelli Center.
 
The Screaming Eagles move to 3-5 for the season so far and mark their first win on the road in a neutral setting.
 
The Screaming Eagles take the first set in the Covelli Center against the Penguins. Senior Leah Coleman led the team with five kills, hitting no errors on 13 attempts. Outside hitter Ashby Willis led the USI defense with nine digs, and the senior also tallied four kills.
 
Sophomore Carley Wright and Willis combined for 11 kills with no errors to ramp up the USI offensive production in the second frame. Junior libero Audrey Small covered the back row for the Screaming Eagles, picking up 12 digs. Sophomore setter Aysa Thomas ran a balanced offense with 16 assists, setting up kill opportunities for six different teammates.
 
The Penguins gained a lead early in the third set, maintaining it for the whole set after the 3-3 tie point. Wright led the USI offense, tallying an impressive eight kills with no errors for a hitting percentage of .889.
 
The Screaming Eagles closed out the match with a dominant final set where they never gave up the lead and pushed as many as seven points ahead several times throughout. With four team blocks, including three assists from both Wright and sophomore Mackenzie Nettles, USI was able to hold the YSU offensive production to a match low .045.
 

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ILLINOIS STATE 3, WESTERN ILLINOIS 0
NORMAL, Ill. - Recap coming soon.