Southeast Missouri (11-19, 7-9 OVC)
at Ohio Valley Conference Tournament
Match Information
Venue: Racer Arena
Location: Murray, Kentucky
When: Thursday, Nov. 20 - Saturday, Nov. 22
Live Stats: GoSoutheast.com | GoRacers.com
Live Video: OVCDigitalNetwork.com
Twitter Updates: @SEMOvb | @OVCSports
 
Complete Southeast Missouri Match Notes
 
Tournament Time
The Southeast Missouri volleyball squad will travel to top-seeded Murray State for the 2014 Ohio Valley Conference Tournament. No. 8 Southeast Missouri will open tournament play against the Racers at 3 p.m. Thursday in the opening round of the tournament. Southeast Missouri holds the No. 8 seed in the tournament.
 
All-OVC Team Performance
All-OVC honoree Taylor Masterson is hitting .357 on the season, which leads the entire league in hitting percentage. Masterson is also a top-three blocker in the OVC with 1.01 blocks per set in 2014. She has a total of 113 total blocks (47 solo, 66 assisted). In conference-only matches, Masterson is hitting an even higher .368, which is second in the OVC. On the net in OVC matches, she is averaging 1.16 blocks per set with 71 blocks in 61 sets. Masterson has a total of 280 kills, which is second best on the team. She averages 2.5 kills per set. Masterson was named All-Newcomer team in 2012 as a redshirt-freshman.
 
All-Newcomer Performance
Nzingha Clarke, who hails from O'Fallon, Illinois, has had a remarkable freshman campaign for Southeast Missouri. Clarke has been a force to reckon with on the net in 2014. She has 109 total blocks through 97 sets, good enough for 1.12 blocks per set. In OVC matches, Clarke's conference-only numbers only get better. She is averaging 1.23 blocks per set with 70 total blocks (15 solo, 55 assisted). Clarke has a .253 hitting percentage with 132 kills this season.
 
Looking Back
Southeast Missouri defeated UT Martin before falling to Jacksonville State to close out the regular-season. The Redhawks earned the No. 8 seed in the upcoming OVC Championship. Junior Taylor Masterson recorded a .419 hitting percentage on the week with 16 kills. Freshman Carlie Cuffle had 4.14 digs per set last week, including recording a career-high 17 versus Jacksonville State.
 
Building Blocks
In OVC games, Southeast is averaging 2.64 blocks per set as a team; nearly half a block per set more than Morehead State with 2.23. Individually, Nzingha Clarke and Taylor Masterson are the top in the league. Clarke leads the OVC with 1.23 blocks per set while Masterson ranks third with 1.16 blocks per set. The Redhawks are also holding their conference opponents to a .184 hitting percentage due in part to their blocking game.
 
Offensive Prowess
The Redhawks' .213 OVC hitting percentage ranks fourth in the league. Individually, two Redhawks rank in the top ten of the OVC in hitting percentage. Taylor Masterson's .368 average is the second best in the league. Senior Kelsey Keeve is also a top-five hitter with a .307 hitting clip this conference season.
 
Scouting the Racers
Murray State defeated Austin Peay before falling to Morehead State last week. The Racers earned the regular-season title and the No. 1 seed in the OVC Championship. Murray State will also host the OVC Tourney. Sophomore Scottie Ingram had a match-high 12 kills to go with seven digs versus Austin Peay. She followed that  up with a double-double against Morehead State with 15 kills and 11 digs. Sophomore Ellie Lorenz recorded 32 digs over the two matches, including a match-high 17 versus the Eagles. Junior Sam Bedard had 30 assists and 11 digs versus Austin Peay. She also dished out 43 assists to go with seven digs in the match with Morehead State.