Southeast Missouri (5-5)
at Southern Illinois (0-7)
Match Information
Date: Tuesday, Sept. 12, 2017
Start Time: 7 p.m. CT
Location: Carbondale, Ill.
Venue: SIU Arena
Series: SIU leads series 19-9
Media Information
Live Stats:
GoSoutheast.com
Live Stream:
ESPN3
Follow the Redhawks on Twitter for in-match updates
@SEMOvb
Complete Match Notes:
GoSoutheast.com
Southeast Meets Southern
The Redhawks travel to Carbondale, Ill. for a Tuesday night matchup against, border rival, Southern Illinois.
Drake Invitational Recap
Southeast went 0-3 over the weekend at the Drake Invitational losing to Montana in five sets, tournament host, Drake, and Omaha.
Krissa Gearring led SEMO at the tournament with 23 kills and
Mikayla Kuhlmann recorded 22 kills at the tournament. Gearring notched her third double-double of the season on Saturday with 14 kills and 13 digs against Omaha. Kuhlmann posted her second-straight double-double on Friday against Montana with 13 kills and 13 digs.
Making it Look Ea"Z"y
Nzingha Clarke was named to the Drake Invitational All-Tournament Team, her third-straight honor this season after she led the tournament with 19 total blocks (1.58 block/set). She also added 18 kills over the weekend in Des Moines, Iowa. Clarke currently leads the Ohio Valley Conference with 43 total blocks (1.10 block/set). She also ranks fourth in the conference with a .340 hitting clip (76 kills).
Scouting the Salukis (0-7)
Southern Illinois is winless this season and lost to Oakland and Western Michigan over the weekend at the Western Michigan Tournament in Kalamazoo, Mich. Freshman opposite hitter Maggie Nedoma was named to the all-tournament team after she totaled 23 kills in the two matches. Nedoma recorded a career-high 18 kills in SIU's match against Oakland. Senior outside hitter Andrea Estrada leads the Saluki offense with 72 kills (2.67 kills/set) and has added 75 digs. Southern Illinois was pegged to finish fifth in the 2017 Missouri Valley Conference Preseason Poll after the team finished last season with a 21-12 (12-6 MVC) record. The Salukis return three starters from the 2016 team and Kari Thompson is in her first season as head coach at Southern Illinois.
Series History
Southeast trails in the all-time series with Southern Illinois, 9-19. The Redhawks lost their most recent meeting with the Salukis, 0-3, on Sept. 13, 2016 in Cape Girardeau, Mo. Outside hitter
Krissa Gearring led the team with 11 kills and
Marie Less added nine kills in the match. SEMO last beat Southern Illinois, 3-2, on Sept. 7, 2013 in Manhattan, Kans. at the Kansas State Invitational. SIU won the series opener on Sept. 10, 1977, 2-0.
Roster Breakdown
The Redhawks squad includes 15 student-athletes with the bulk of the team made up of upperclassmen (five seniors and five juniors). Nine members from the 2016 team return this season with four returnees being regular starters last season. The 2017 roster features five newcomers, two of which are true freshman and the other three players transferring from other institutions.
OVC Preseason
SEMO was chosen to finish ninth in the 2017 Ohio Valley Conference preseason poll. The Redhawks received 70 points in the survey voted on by OVC Coaches and Sports Information Directors. Belmont was picked as the 2017 preseason favorite. The Bruins garnered 10 of the 24 first place votes for 223 points. Austin Peay (214 points) finished second with six first-place votes. SIUE (199 points) took two first-place votes for third and 2016 OVC Champion, Murray State, (188 points) received six first-place votes to place fourth. Senior outside hitter
Krissa Gearring and senior middle blocker
Nzingha Clarke were both named to the 2017 Preseason All-OVC Team.
Looking Ahead
SEMO heads to the Windy City for the Chicago State Tournament Sept. 15-16 to conclude nonconference play. The Redhawks open the conference schedule on the road against Tennessee Martin on Sept. 19.
