CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. – Southeast Missouri (9-15, 5-6 OVC) defeated Eastern Illinois (13-12, 8-3 OVC) in five sets Friday evening at Houck Field House (22-25, 25-19, 25-17, 26-28, 15-13).

Both teams battled back and forth early until a 10-10 tie was reached. The Redhawks began to gather momentum with kills by Madalyn Werths and Nzingha Clarke to take a 15-11 advantage. With Southeast ahead 19-16, EIU rallied back to surpass the Redhawks and steal the first set, 25-22. Marie Less and Werths each tallied four kills in the frame, with Less sporting a .571 hitting clip.

The Panthers' momentum continued in the second frame until the Redhawks strung together a seven-point run to take a 9-6 lead. EIU crept back to tie the match at 15 until a kill by Clarke sparked a four-point Southeast rally.  Strong defense and consistent hitting allowed the Redhawks to take the set 25-19 and tie the match at a set apiece. Southeast finished the set with four team blocks while Clarke earned another four kills.

Less repeated her first set performance to help the Redhawks take advantage in the match. After battling point-for-point, Southeast charged ahead with a six-point run, eventually cruising to a 25-17 set victory. As a team, the Redhawks generated 15 kills with a .483 hitting clip during the frame.

EIU fought early, eventually edging a slight lead over Southeast, 18-15. The Redhawks fought back, catching the Panthers and forcing a tie at 24 on an ace by Katarina Rotta. Consecutive kills by Clarke gave Southeast an advantage, but EIU fought back to claim the fourth set 28-26 and forcing a decisive fifth frame. While unable to finish the match for the Redhawks, Werths had an impressive seven-kill frame with a perfect attack percentage. Clarke was also able to taylly another four kills during the set.

The Redhawks took command of the fifth set early in the frame, 10-4, after Taylor Masterson laid down a kill. Refusing to fall quietly, EIU surged back, catching Southeast to tie the set at 13. After another kill by Werths and a Panther attack error, the Redhawks took the set 15-13 and earned a 3-2 match victory.

Werths led the Redhawks with 16 kills, finishing the night with a .433 hitting clip. Clarke and Less followed with 14 and 13 kills, respectively as the Southeast generated a .309 team attack percentage. Clarke led defensively tallying five blocks, helping the Redhawks earn 10 team blocks throughout the match. Southeast finished the night with 63 assists led by Keegan Fornoff (31) and Rotta (26).

The Redhawks return to action Saturday against SIUE at 5 p.m. in the annual Survivor Night. Southeast will honor breast cancer survivors during intermission of the match.