Southeast Missouri at Indiana Invitational
Match Information
Tournament: Indiana Invitational
Host: Indiana University
Opponents: Mississippi State, Indiana, Miami (Ohio)
Venue: University Gymnasium
Location: Bloomington, Indiana
When: Friday, Sept. 5 - Saturday, Sept. 6
Live Stats: IUHoosiers.com
Twitter Updates: @SEMOvb
 
Complete Southeast Missouri Match Notes
 
Time to Rebound
After opening the season 1-3 in Saint Louis, the Redhawks volleyball team will look to bounce back in week two at the Indiana Invitational hosted by the Indiana University Hoosiers. The two-day, four-team tournament will begin Friday and wrap up on Saturday. The Redhawks will take on Mississippi State Friday at 4 p.m., CT followed by matchups with the Hoosiers and Miami (Ohio) on Saturday.
 
Looking Back
The Redhawks started the season off looking strong with a four-set win over Memphis last Friday. Following the win over the Tigers, Southeast found they just couldn't close out a set when they needed to most. The Redhawks fell in four to Alabama, suffered a sweep by Saint Louis, and fell again in four to Northern Iowa. Andrea Baylin earned All-Tournament team honors after having top performances both offensively and defensively.
 
Fresh Faces
The 2014 volleyball squad features a total of 15 student-athletes. Of the 15, 11 are in their first two years with the program. The Redhawks also welcome six freshmen to the program. During opening weekend, nine of the before mentioned players saw action, including five of the six freshmen. Freshmen Krissa Gearring and Nzingha Clarke started all four matches for Southeast.
 
Dig Right
After week one, the Redhawks lead the OVC in digging with 15.80 digs per set. Belmont is behind the Redhawks with 15.47 digs per set. Individually, Andrea Baylin is top-three in the category with 4.07 digs per set with a total of 61 in 15 sets played. Libero Jade Mortimer is also in the top-ten with 3.8 digs per set.
 
Records Against
Indiana - 0-2
The Redhawks last faced Indiana three years ago at this same tournament. The Hoosiers defeated Southeast in three sets but the Redhawks would finish 2-1 in the tournament. Two Redhawks earned all-tournament team honors. Julie Yankus earned her first two wins as a head coach at the tournament.
Mississippi State - 2-1
The Redhawks and Bulldogs last faced each other a season ago at the Maroon Classic, hosted by Mississippi State. The Redhawks dropped the first match to the Bulldogs in three sets to open the 2013 campaign but turned around and defeated them in four sets on their way to winning the tournament.
Miami (Ohio) - first meeting
Saturday's match will be the first meeting ever between the Southeast Missouri Redhawks and the Miami (Ohio) RedHawks.
 
2014 OVC Preseason Poll
Southeast Missouri was picked seventh in the 2014 Ohio Valley Conference preseason poll, as voted on by league head coaches and sports information directors. The Redhawks finished fourth in the league in 2013 and lost a number of valuable players to graduation at the end of the season. Morehead State, the reigning regular-season and tournament champs, were picked to win the league.
 
Preseason All-OVC
Taylor Masterson was named to the Preseason All-OVC team. The junior middle blocker led the league in blocking a season ago. Masterson recorded a total of 139 blocks (49 solo, 90 assisted) for an average of 1.09 blocks per set. Aside from blocking, Masterson recorded the third-best attack percentage on the team with a .254 hitting clip while registering 219 kills (1.71 kills/set) on the season.
 
Goodbye East and West
The OVC will no longer recognize the East and West Divisions for conference ranking purposes in volleyball. The league will return to the 12-overall teams format. Southeast won the West Division in 2012, the first year for divisional play.
 
A Glance at 2013
The Redhawks finished 2013 with a 17-16 overall record and finished fourth in the OVC with a 9-7 record. The Redhawks lost four seniors to graduation who all rewrote the Southeast Missouri record books during their time at Southeast. The Redhawks garnered four OVC Players of the Week including Andrea Baylin, who was named Defensive Player of the Week on Oct. 7.
 
Setting Up
Southeast Missouri will take part in their final tournament next week at the ISTAP Collegiate Cup 2 hosted by Alabama State in Birmingham, Alabama. Southeast is slated to take on Alabama State, Savannah State, The Citadel, and Southern Mississippi. Southeast then heads to Kansas City, Missouri for a matchup with the UMKC Kangaroos on Sept. 17.