PEORIA, Ill. – Southeast Missouri (4-9) fell to DePaul (10-1) in five sets (18-25, 25-18, 28-26, 17-25, 10-15) in its final match at the Bradley Invitational.

Southeast and DePaul engaged in an early point-for-point battle. Finding themselves up 12-11, the Blue Demons began to gather momentum. Caitlyn Coffey and Brittany Maxwell led the charge for DePaul, earning six and five kills, respectively. They went on to claim game one over Southeast, 25-18.

After another back-and-forth start to set two, Southeast would respond in similar fashion. Tied at 10, the Redhawks generated a 7-1 rally, distancing themselves from the Blue Demons. Southeast maintained its pace, finishing the set on a kill by Marie Less, 25-18. Madalyn Werths and Nzingha Clarke both tallied four kills and hit for .571 during the frame.

Momentum continued into the third set for Southeast, claiming an early lead. The Blue Demons battled back however, overtaking the Redhawks 14-13. After several DePaul errors, Southeast began regaining a slight edge before another tie at 24. Madeline Grimm and Clarke each earned late kills, finishing the Blue Demons 28-26 to earn a 2-1 match lead.

With its back against the wall, DePaul took early control in the fourth frame. Southeast was unable to gain momentum as the Blue Demons took the game 25-17, evening the match at two. Maxwell registered another six kills for DePaul, sporting a .500 attack percentage in the frame.

Down 4-2, the Blue Demons surged forward with nine straight points in the final set. DePaul eventually defeated Southeast 15-10, claiming the match 3-2. Randi Leath powered the Blue Demons' finish, tallying six kills on six attempts.

Werths matched her career mark in kills of 15, which was set against Mississippi State on Sept. 5 last season. Katarina Rotta and Keegan Fornoff led the Redhawks to a team total of 50 assists, generating 21 and 20 respectively. Jade Mortimer finished the match with 26 of Southeast's 79 digs.

Clarke followed Werths with 10 kills and a .391 hitting clip. Her performances during the weekend earned Clarke All-Tournament Team honors for the third time this year. Head Coach Julie Yankus commented, "Nzingha had another great weekend for us. When we can get her the ball, she is just so efficient offensively. It was exciting to see her terminate against some very big blockers this weekend. She also did a great job shutting down some of the opposing middles with her blocking. I am very excited to see what she will accomplish as we start conference play."

Yankus went on to discuss the Redhawks' play this weekend. "We tried some new things this weekend by trying to create more offensive options for ourselves. We have a very young team and it's been great to see how they have developed over the last couple of weeks. I have seen moments of greatness over the past few weeks and I'm excited to see that on a more consistent basis as we gain experience and confidence."

Southeast returns home and will open Ohio Valley Conference play next Friday, Sept. 25 against Murray State at 6:30 p.m. The match will mark this year's Houck "Filled" House event. The first 500 students in attendance will receive an exclusive Redhawks tank top. Southeast will host Austin Peay the following night, Sept. 26, at 5 p.m.