BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Southeast Missouri (1-4) fell to both UAB (2-2) and Northwestern State (3-3) at the UAB/Samford Challenge in the Bartow Arena on Friday.
 
Northwestern State 3, Southeast Missouri 1 (26-24, 25-14, 15-21, 25-17)
After Southeast claimed an early advantage, NSU mounted a six-point rally to tie the set at 18. The Lady Demons earned set point but were halted by Krissa Gearring's ninth kill of the frame. NSU reclaimed control, however, winning the first game 26-24.
 
The Redhawks responded with a strong second set, winning handily 25-14. Krista Berns captured four of her six kills to help draw a 1-1 tie in the match.
 
In a close back and forth battle, NSU reclaimed advantage over SEMO with a third set victory. The Lady Demons jumped out to an early 9-3 lead before the Redhawks began chipping away. Nzingha Clarke led the charge with four kills, drawing Southeast within two. Despite Southeast's offensive outburst, the Lady Demons were able to remain on top and captur the final two rallies to capture the third set 25-21.
 
NSU went on to earn a 3-1 victory after a 25-17 win in the fourth game.
 
Gearring finished the contest with 21 kills and 14 digs. Clarke also earned double-digit kills (11) while tacking on four total blocks. Katarina Rotta tallied 30 assists in her three games played while Jade Mortimer recorded a career best 29 digs in the match.

UAB 3, Southeast Missouri 0 (26-24, 25-19, 25-22)
Southeast rallied on three separate occasions to force late ties in the opening set. Knotted at 24, UAB took two-straight points to earn a 26-24 victory and take a match lead.
 
Riding their momentum from a late opening set victory, the Blazers jumped out to a 8-1 lead in the second. Southeast battled, pulling within three (17-14) thanks to four straight kills from Gearring and Clarke. After calling a timeout, UAB was able to regroup and hang on to finish the set (25-19) to take a 2-0 advantage.
 
Down 16-10 in the third game, SEMO refused to go queitly by overtaking UAB 20-18 and forcing a timeout. The Blazers, however, claimed seven of the next nine rallies to fend of the Redhawks and sweep the game.
 
Rotta tallied another 39 assists while both Gearring and Madeline Grimm earned double-digit kills with 19 and 10, respectively.
 
Southeast will wrap up it's weekend tomorrow at the Pete Hanna Center against Radford at 1 p.m. before returning home. The Redhawks will then play at Evansville on Monday at 6 p.m. live on ESPN 3.