2016 Hampton Inn
Leatherneck Invitational
Tournament Information
Date: Sept. 16-17, 2016
Teams: Southeast Missouri, Drake, Weber State, Western Illinois
Location: Macomb, Ill.
Weekend Notes: GoSoutheast.com

Southeast Missouri Tournament Schedule
Live Stats – GoLeathernecks.com
Friday, Sept. 16
11 a.m. vs. Drake
4 p.m. vs. Weber State
Saturday, Sept. 17
11 a.m. vs. Western Illinois - Live Audio Stream

Follow the Redhawks on Twitter for in-game updates @SEMOvb

Southeast Missouri State women's volleyball (1-10) enters its final weekend before conference play begins at the Leatherneck Invitational. The Redhawks will do battle with Drake and Weber State on Friday before taking on tournament host Western Illinois the following morning.

Scouting the Bulldogs (8-3)
All-Time Series History: SEMO leads 3-1
Drake enters the weekend after knocking off Eastern Illinois and Louisiana Tech before falling to Bowling Green at EIU. The Bulldogs are ninth in the nation in digs per set (17.7) and second in total digs (763).  Drake is led offensively by Kyla Inderski who has registered148 kills on the season while Michelle Thomma leads the defense with 5.23 digs per set, ranking 18th in the NCAA.

Scouting the Wildcats (6-0)
All-Time Series History: SEMO trails 2-0
After being picked to finish ninth in the preseason coaches poll for the Big Sky, Weber State set a new school record by opening their season with six straight wins. The Wildcats have only dropped three sets during the season so far. WSU is led by Amanda Varley who sports 79 kills and Jesse Hover who has 102 digs. Megan Thompson ranks tenth in the nation in blocks per set (1.67).
 
Scouting the Leathernecks (1-10)
All-Time Series History: SEMO leads 6-1
Western Illinois' lone victory this season came earlier this week in a midweek match against Chicago State. Shalyn Greenhaw ranks fourth in The Summit League with a team-leading 129 kills (3.15 per set) while Kaili Simmons is third in the league with 173 total digs (4.22 per set)

Last Time Out
After falling in the opening two sets, the Redhawks refused to go quietly. In Southeast's strongest set of the night, Krissa Gearring tallied seven kills as Rachel Poole dished out 13 assists to keep Southeast close in the third frame. Battling until the closing moments, SIU would reclaim the lead and close out the game to sweep the match.

Gearring finished the night with 11 kills while Poole led the Redhawks in assists (27) and digs (15). Krista Berns and Nzingha Clarke provided a strong net presence for Southeast, each registering multiple solo blocks during the contest (three and two, respectively).
 
Last Weekend – Popcorn Classic
Unable to snap its losing skid, Southeast fell to Duquesne, Central Michigan and tournament host Valparaiso at the Popcorn Classic last weekend. Gearring earned all-tournament honors for the second time this season.

Numbers at a Glance
Gearring currently ranks fifth in the nation in total kills (203) and 10th in kills per set (4.86). Her 215.5 points on the season is eighth most in the NCAA.
 
While splitting playing time and accumulating 282 assists, Poole's 9.40 assists per set average ranks fifth in the conference.

Jade Mortimer ranks 43rd in the country in digs per set at 4.86. Her season total of 209 is 15th most in the nation. Both numbers currently lead the OVC.

Looking Ahead
Southeast will travel to Clarksville, Tenn. to open OVC play against Austin Peay on Friday, Sept. 23. The following afternoon, the Redhawks will take on Murray State to close the conference opening road trip.