BOILING SPRINGS, N.C. – Southeast Missouri won its first match of the season with a 3-0 sweep (25-21, 25-21, 25-15) of Gardner-Webb Friday during the opening day of the AmericInn Runnin' Bulldog Classic.

Set one saw Southeast jump out to an early lead, eventually forcing Gardner-Webb to use both of its timeouts at a score of 15-10. The Bulldogs took advantage of the stoppage and battled back to tie the game at 19. The Redhawks then took control, closing the set 25-21. Madeline Grimm led the first set with four kills and a .667 hitting clip. Krissa Gearring and Nzingha Clarke followed with three kills each.

Both teams battled back and forth for most of the second set. The Redhawks, however, took control and headed into a timeout ahead, 19-13. The Bulldogs narrowed the margin to 19-17, but the Redhawks finishes strong, winning 25-19 to take a 2-0 match lead. Marie Less led the scoring, tallying five kills in the frame.

Southeast polished off its sweep with a commanding 25-15 win in the third set. Gearring gathered seven kills to pave the way.

Gearring led the Redhawks with 12 kills and a hitting clip of .235 on the night. Clarke finished the match with nine kills and a .500 attack percentage. Grimm and Less also tallied eight kills, with Grimm boasting a .583 hitting clip.

Afterwards, coach Julie Yankus commented on the vicotry. "We faced alot of adversity this week and to get our first win feels great. We had a very balanced attack which helped us control the pace of the match."

The Redhawks conclude the tournament with two matches Saturday. Southeast faces South Carolina-Upstate at 9 a.m., CT, and The Citadel at 3:30 p.m.