BOILING SPRINGS, N.C. – The Southeast Missouri volleyball team closed tournament play at the AmericInn Runnin' Bulldog Classic Saturday. The Redhawks (2-4) split a pair of matches with a 3-1 loss to South Carolina-Upstate and a come-from-behind five-set victory over The Citadel. 

Southeast fell to South Carolina-Upstate (6-0) by a score of 3-1 (25-23, 19-25, 20-25, 23-25) in the first match. Down two sets to none against The Citadel (2-5), the Redhawks battled back to earn a thrilling five-set victory over the Bulldogs (23-25, 28-30, 25-17, 25-22, 15-8).

South Carolina-Upstate 3, Southeast Missouri 1
Set one saw an early back-and-forth battle with neither team claiming more than three points in a row. Heading into the Spartans second time out, the Redhawks found themselves ahead 22-17. After another Redhawks kill, the Spartans would mount a five-point run, finding themselves behind 23-22. The Redhawks maintained their lead throughout the frame, finishing the set 25-23 and taking a 1-0 lead. Krissa Gearring led the Redhawks in set one with five kills with Nzingha Clarke closely following with four.

The close contest continued throughout the second frame which saw eight ties and four lead changes. The Redhawks held control at 19-17 entering a Spartans timeout late in the set. The Spartans took advantage of the stoppage, going on an eight-point run and eventually taking the frame from the Redhawks, 19-25, tying the match at a set apiece. 

The Spartans continued their momentum in the third set, eventually taking a 20-12 lead on the Redhawks. The Redhawks began a comeback, scoring five straight points. The run would be stopped short however, allowing the Spartans to take the third set 25-20 and a 2-1 lead in the match. 

Set four saw the Spartans jump to a 10-7 lead before the Redhawks took control with a five-point run. With the Redhawks leading 18-15, the Spartans exited their timeout answering with a five-point run of their own. The Redhawks attempt to take the set fell short, as the Spartans went on the take the frame 25-23, and the match in four sets, 3-1.

Gearring posted a double-double, leading the Redhawks with 11 kills along with 16 digs. Clarke finished with 10 kills and was involved in four blocks. Katarina Rotta tallied 36 assists as well as assisting on four blocks.

Southeast Missouri 3, The Citadel 2
Set one was a close battle, with six ties and three lead changes. Tied at 20, the Bulldogs scored three straight points, prompting the Redhawks to call a timeout.  Southeast continued to battle, but was unsuccessful in taking back the lead, dropping the set 25-23. Gearring and Clarke both had six kills in the frame with hitting clips over .500. As a team, the Redhawks had an attack percentage of .421 in the set.

Set two saw The Citadel take a 6-5 lead only to be see Southeast answer with a five-point run. The Bulldogs battled back to tie the game at 21 all, forcing the Redhawks to take a timeout. The remainder of the frame was point-for-point until the Bulldogs took two in a row and jumped ahead 26-25, prompting the Redhawks to use their second timeout. The battle continued until The Citadel claimed the game, 30-28. Clarke again posted six kills, raising her attack percentage to .550 in the match.

The Redhawks took a stand early in the third at 11-5, forcing an early timeout from the Bulldogs. Southeast never looked back, claiming the game 25-17 and pushing the match to 2-1 in favor of the Bulldogs. During the set, Gearring had five kills with Marie Less closely following with four. Haley Roberts would also add two service aces during the frame.

Set four continued the back-and-forth pace from earlier in the match with four early ties and two lead changes. With the game tied at 12, Southeast began to pull away with a four-point run.  The Bulldogs fought back to within one, but the Redhawks finished strong and took the set 25-22, evening the match at two sets each. Clarke and Less both tallied four kills while the Redhawks had a team attack percentage of .367 for the set.

Southeast carried their momentum into the final frame, starting off with a 4-0 lead. The Redhawks remained in control throughout the frame, claiming the set, 15-8, and match, 3-2. Clarke took command at the end of the game with three kills for the final four Redhawks points.

Clarke finished the match with 24 kills while sporting a .500 hitting clip. Gearring followed with 20 kills and a .400 attack percentage. Clarke and Gearring both were named to the All-Tournament team based on their weekend performances. Less posted a double-double, tallying 14 kills and 21 digs. Rotta ended the night with a 62-assist performance, capturing four service aces in the process. 

After the match, Coach Julie Yankus discussed the team's dramatic comeback. "I'm very proud of the heart and determination the team showed today. Coming back from an 0-2 deficit is always tough. We stayed determined and had our best offensive performance of the season so far."

Yankus went on to discuss the play of Gearring and Clarke. "Krissa did a great job all-around this weekend. She passed very well in serve receive and played some awesome defense. Offensively, she has really started to change up her shots and she found lots of ways to score. Krissa contributed a lot in our wins this weekend." Yankus continued, "Nzingha finished out the weekend with an amazing performance. She was unstoppable offensively. As usual, she also did a great job shutting down our opponents with her blocks. Nzingha dominates when we can get her the ball"

The Redhawks will resume play next weekend in Fayetteville, Arkansas at the Razorback Invitational.