Southeast Missouri (4-2)
vs. Western Illinois (3-3)
Match Information
Date: Monday, Sept. 3, 2017
Start Time: 4 p.m. CT
Location: Cape Girardeau, Mo.
Venue: Houck Field House
Series: SEMO leads 6-2
 
Media Information
Live Stats: GoSoutheast.com

Follow the Redhawks on Twitter for in-match updates @SEMOvb
 
Complete Match Notes: Southeast Missouri
 
Labor Day Showdown
The Redhawks play their first home match of the season at Houck Field House on Labor Day Monday against Western Illinois at 4 p.m.
 
Redhawks Invitational Recap
Southeast captured the 2017 Redhawks Invitational over the weekend to open their home schedule at the Show Me Center.  This is the first Redhawks tournament championship since the 2013 Maroon Classic at Mississippi State in Starkville, Miss. SEMO beat Morgan State and Arkansas-Pine Bluff in straight sets on Friday and then took down previously undefeated Evansville 3-2 on Saturday. Outside hitter Mikayla Kuhlmann led the team with a .370 hitting clip and recorded 12 kills (2.40 kills/set) over the three matches.
 
Outside hitter Krissa Gearring was named the Redhawks Invitational Tournament MVP and recorded 37 kills (3.37 kills/set) and 34 digs (3.09 digs/set) to lead the team this past weekend. Middle blocker Nzingha Clarke and libero Ally Dion were also named to the all-tournament team. Clarke finished the tournament with 19 kills and 18 blocks. Dion totaled 34 digs and nine service aces over the weekend including a team-high 14 digs in Saturday's match.
 
Milestones for Gearring
Senior outside hitter Krissa Gearring notched her 1,000-career kill and 1,000-career dig as a Redhawk over the weekend at the Redhawks Invitational. Gearring eclipsed the 1,000-kill mark in Friday's evening match with Arkansas-Pine Bluff and surpassed 1,000 digs in Saturday's tournament finale against Evansville. She now has 1017 career kills and 1007 career digs.
 
Scouting the Fighting Leathernecks (3-3)
Western Illinois travels to Cape Girardeau, Mo. after participating in the UAB Invitational in Birmingham, Ala. The Leathernecks defeated Charleston Southern 3-2 before losing to Austin Peay of the OVC in straight sets on Saturday. On Sunday, WIU dropped their tournament finale to UAB in three sets. Senior Shalyn Greenhaw led the team with 26 kills over the weekend.
 
WIU returns 10 players from the 2016 campaign. Greenhaw recorded a team-best 291 kills in 2016. Sophomore Claire Grove was named to The Summit League 'Players to Watch' after compiling 112 kills and 217 digs in the 2016 campaign. The Leathernecks will also return sophomores Hannah Walker and Makenzie Bouse at setter. Walker recorded 217 assists and Bouse added 130 last year for second and third best on the team. Five newcomers are featured in this year's roster with four being freshman and one transfer.
 
Series History
Southeast faces Western Illinois in the ninth meeting between the two teams. The Redhawks first played the Leathernecks in 1977 with WIU winning the series opener 2-0. SEMO then strung together six straight wins from 1994 to 2010. Southeast lost the most recent match on Sept. 17, 2016 in straight sets at the Hampton Inn Leatherneck Invitational in Macomb, Ill. Krissa Gearring and Nzingha Clarke each had 11 kills and Clarke added five blocks in the loss.
 
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
Southeast travels to Des Moines, Iowa this weekend for the Drake Tournament where they will face Montana, Drake, and Omaha. SEMO makes a stop in Carbondale, Ill. for a meeting with rival, Southern Illinois, on Sept. 12 before participating in the Chicago State Tournament Sept. 15-16 to conclude nonconference play. The Redhawks open the conference schedule on the road on Sept. 19 against Tennessee Martin.