EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. – Southeast Missouri women's volleyball (10-7, 2-2) secured the opening set but fell to SIUE (4-12, 3-1), 3-1 (25-22, 18-25, 19-25, 18-25), Saturday afternoon at the Vadalabene Center.
 
The Redhawks came from behind in the first set as SIUE began with a 5-1 lead that grew to 10-4. An Annie Wehrheim kill cut the deficit to 11-8 as SEMO started to chip away at the Cougars lead.
 
A kill from Laney Malloy coupled with back-to-back service aces from Claire Ochs made the score 13-11 in favor of SIUE.  After consecutive Cougars attack errors, the set was knotted at 20-20. Ochs added a kill to tie the score again, this time at 21-21.
 
Ellen LeMasters hit a kill to bring the lead back to SIUE, 22-21, before three straight points by the Redhawks captured the set. Wehrheim and Krista Berns both knocked kills and Malloy and Berns combined for the block, 25-22.
 
Southeast notched a .286 hitting clip in the opening set.
 
SIUE answered back with three straight set wins to earn the victory.
 
The Cougars busted out to a 14-8 lead in the second set, prompting a SEMO timeout. Kills from Malloy would cut the SIUE lead to four, 17-13, before a Kiana Fields rally stopper made the score line 21-14.
 
Wehrheim added a kill as Southeast trailed 22-18 before three straight points by the Cougars evened the match at 1-1.
 
In the third set, SIUE utilized a 5-0 run to distance themselves from the Redhawks 18-10. Southeast responded with a 5-0 rally that included two Malloy service aces to cut the advantage to 23-18 and force a Cougars timeout.
 
SEMO would score one more point in the set on a kill from Ochs as SIUE took the set, 25-19, on a kill from Fields.
 
Southeast didn't have an answer for the Cougars as SIUE grew their lead to 17-12 in the fourth set on a kill from Annie Ellis and won the match with a 25-18 set.
 
Haley Bilbruck led the Redhawks with 12 kills on a .429 and 15 digs for her second straight double-double.
 
Malloy chipped in 10 kills with 11 digs and Wehrheim had nine kills.
 
Ochs dished out 39 assists in the match and had 11 digs. Ally Dion added 15 digs.
 
The Redhawks head home for a Tuesday night conference matchup with UT Martin at 6:30 p.m. at Houck Field House.