Troy Invitational 
Location: Troy, Ala. 
Venue: Trojan Arena
Tournament Homepage
 
Friday, Aug. 24, 2018
Match Information
Southeast Missouri (0-0)
vs. Southern (0-0)
Start Time: 12 p.m., CT
Series: First Meeting in Program History
Live Stats:  StatBroadcast
 
vs. Southeastern Louisiana (0-0)
Match Information
Start Time: 3:30 p.m., CT
Series: First Meeting in Program History
Live Stats: StatBroadcast
 
Saturday, Aug. 25, 2018
at Troy (0-0)
Match Information
Start Time: 10 a.m., CT
Series: First Meeting in Program History
Live Stats: StatBroadcast
Video: Facebook Live
 
Complete Match Notes: Southeast Missouri (PDF)
 
Southeast Start Season at Troy
Southeast Missouri women's volleyball opens the 2018 campaign in Troy, Alabama, at the Troy Invitational on Friday at the Trojan Arena. SEMO will start the tourney with a doubleheader on Friday, playing Southern at noon, CT and then facing Southeastern Louisiana at 3:30 p.m. The Redhawks meet the tournament host, Trojans, Saturday morning at 10 a.m. on Facebook Live. 
 
Follow the Redhawks
• Stats will be available for Friday and Saturday's matches on GoSoutheast.com.
• @SEMOvb, the official Twitter page of Redhawks volleyball, will feature live in-game updates all season long.
• Saturday's match against Troy will be broadcasted live on Facebook Live.
 
Scouting the Opponents
Jaguars
Southern posted an 8-21 overall record (8-10 SWAC) in 2017 and lost in the SWAC Volleyball Tournament Quarterfinals. Top returners for Southern are right side hitter Paige Hall, setter Vaterra Calais and libero Bailey Jefferson. Hall notched 166 kills (1.84 k/set) and 84 blocks in 90 sets of action in 2017. Also returning at outside hitter is top point-getter Shelby Jolly, who put down a team-best 246 kills in 108 sets of play, despite starting just 16 matches. Arabella Hall solidifies the heart of the net defense, as she posted 115 total blocks in 2017 along with 214 kills.
 
Lions
Southeastern Louisiana was picked to finish 13th in the Southland Conference and went 3-27 (1-15 Southland) in 2017. Coach Jim Smoot enters his sixth season in charge of the program and returns 10 players from last season's squad, including points leader Elyssa Purcell (2.62 points/set). Setters Haley Baker (5.39 assists/set) and Michelle Mirarchi (3.76 assists/set) return to direct the offense. Attackers Jodi Edo (1.84 points/set), Tempestt Vaughn (1.68 points/set) and Sam Gomez (1.66 points/set) all garnered a full season worth of experience in 2017. Libero Lexie Torres (3.71 digs/set) will once again defend the back line, drawing help from defensive specialist Alexis Pratt (1.71 digs/set).
 
Trojans
Troy was picked to finish fourth in the East Division and seventh overall in the Sun Belt Conference in 2018. The Trojans recorded a 11-22 mark (4-12 Sun Belt) in 2017 and fell in the conference quarterfinals. Seven players from that squad return this season and the team will look to its lone senior, Logan Page, along with a supporting cast of four juniors – Kiara Barrett, Savannah Moore, Belle Waldrop and Jenni Young – and sophomores Cheyenne Hayes and SaraGrace Wilson. 
 
Series History
Southeast meets the Southern Jaguars (La.), the Southeastern Louisiana Lions and the Troy Trojans for the first time in program history on Friday and Saturday. 
 
Redhawk Scrimmage Recap
Southeast competed in the Redhawk Scrimmage Aug. 18 at Houck Field House in preparation for the 2018 season. The red team led by assistant coach Carly Thomas edged the gray team coached by assistant coach and recruiting coordinator Bob Crank, 18-25, 25-15, 25-19, 25-19.
 
Claire Ochs, Emily Boggetto, Madara Bajare, Laney Malloy, Madeline Grimm and Colby Greene made up the red team. Crank's gray team consisted of Keegan Fornoff, Ally Dion, Mikayla Kuhlmann, Kendall Washington, Haley Bilbruck and Annie Wehrheim. Middle blockers Krista Berns, Maggie Adams and Elissa Moylan played on both teams during the scrimmage.
 
Missouri Baptist Exhibition Recap
The Redhawks edged Missouri Baptist, 3-0, in the program's second-ever exhibition match Aug. 13 at Houck Field House. Freshman setter Claire Ochs unofficially posted 26 assists and 13 digs. Offensively, Mikayla Kuhlmann led the team with 11 kills and Haley Bilbruck added seven kills. 
 
Southeast out blocked the Spartans in the match, 9-6. Newcomer Laney Malloy started the exhibition with five kills in the opening set. Libero Ally Dion led the team defensively with 14 digs.
 
O Captains! My Captains!
Southeast Head Coach Julie Yankus announced on Monday Haley Bilbruck, Madeline Grimm and Claire Ochs were selected as team captains for the 2018 season. The trio were chosen to the leadership positions by their teammates.
 
Redhawks Invitational Opens Home Slate 
Southeast hosts the Redhawks Invitational for the team's home opener Friday, Aug. 31 to Saturday, Sept. 1 at Houck Field House and Saxony Lutheran High School (Saturday) in Jackson, Missouri. SEMO welcomes Louisiana Monroe, Radford and Northwestern State to Cape Girardeau for the two-day tournament. The Redhawks face Louisiana Monroe in their first tournament match on Aug. 31 at 12:30 p.m. followed by a 7 p.m. contest against Radford. Southeast takes on Northwestern State at 2 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 1 to finish the tournament.
 
Roster Breakdown
The Redhawks squad includes 16 student-athletes and features eight upperclassmen (four seniors and four juniors). Southeast returns 10 players from the 2017 Ohio Valley Conference Tournament Team and only lost five letter winners. The 2018 squad features six newcomers including five freshmen and one transfer (sophomore).  
 
Despite losing All-OVC picks in Nzingha Clarke and Krissa Gearring, offensively the Redhawks return Mikayla Kuhlmann (205 kills, 2.38 kills/set), Haley Bilbruck (166 kills, 1.42 kills/set), Madara Bajare (130 kills) and Krista Berns (116 kills) who ranked third, fourth, fifth and sixth for winners in 2017. 
 
Keegan Fornoff returns at setter for her senior season and dished out 530 assists in 2017. Fornoff currently ranks fourth overall in SEMO program history (25-point rally scoring, 2008-present) with 1059 career assists. She will split time with freshman Claire Ochs at the position.
 
Defensively, Ally Dion returns at the libero/defensive specialist position after she led the team in 2017 with 340 digs (3.33) as a freshman. Emily Boggetto is another returner at the position and was fourth on SEMO with 148 digs (2.96 digs/set).
 
Oh, Hi Carly!
Carly Thomas joins the Redhawks in 2018 as an assistant coach after spending a year at Missouri State. Thomas coaches the setters and is responsible for travel, film exchange, home match management and academic development among other duties. Thomas was a standout player at Missouri State from 2010-13, starting in 107 of her 124 career matches at setter. She earned First-Team All-Missouri Valley Conference honors each of her final three seasons. An AVCA honorable mention All-American in 2013, Thomas ranked second in MSU history with 4,708 career assists and 12th with 1,201 digs, while adding 498 kills on a .257 hitting percentage. She added 177 blocks and four triple-doubles during her career as well.
 
Thomas most recently coached at her alma mater, assisting the MSU Beach Volleyball program during its inaugural season. Prior to that, she spent three years as an assistant coach at Ozark High School, earning Large Class Assistant Coach of the Year honors from the Missouri High School Volleyball Coaches Association in 2016. Thomas also spent the last four years coaching club volleyball for Springfield Juniors, leading her team to a berth in the USA Junior National Championships. 
 
OVC Preseason Poll
SEMO was chosen to finish ninth in the 2018 Ohio Valley Conference Volleyball Predicted Order of Finish, the league announced Aug. 14. The Redhawks received 95 points in the poll voted on by OVC coaches and sports information directors. Murray State was picked to finish first with 230 points and 10 first-place votes. 2017 OVC Champion Austin Peay earned 14 first-place votes and totaled 227 points for second. Rounding out the poll are SIUE (193), Eastern Kentucky (175), Belmont (152), Morehead State (129), Jacksonville State (125), Eastern Illinois (112), Southeast Missouri (95), Tennessee State (58), UT Martin (56), Tennessee Tech (32).
 
Redhawks Crushing it in the Classroom 
Southeast racked up multiple academic awards in the offseason. The Redhawks earned a NCAA Public Recognition Award based on their most recent multiyear Academic Progress Rates for the third-straight season. SEMO was also awarded their 11th American Volleyball Coaches Association AVCA Team Academic Award for the 2017-2018 season after registering a 3.30 cumulative GPA.
 
Maggie Adams, Madara Bajare, Krista Berns, Haley Bilbruck, Keegan Fornoff, Marie Less and Jessica McElderry were each listed on the OVC's Commissioner's Honor Roll for the 2017-18 academic year after they achieved at least a 3.25 grade point average. Less also earned her second straight OVC Medal of Honor after she posted a perfect 4.0 grade point average during the 2017-18 academic year.