Southeast Missouri (11-7, 3-1 OVC)
vs. Eastern Illinois (1-15, 0-4 OVC) 
Match Information
Date: Friday, Oct. 11, 2019
Location: Cape Girardeau, Mo. 
Venue: Houck Field House
First Serve: 6 p.m., CT
Series: Southeast leads 35-21-1
Video: ESPN+
Live Stats: StatBroadcast
 
vs. SIUE (7-9, 2-2 OVC)
Match Information
Date: Saturday, Oct. 12, 2019
Location: Cape Girardeau, Mo. 
Venue: Houck Field House
First Serve: 2 p.m., CT
Series: SIUE leads 11-8 
Video: ESPN+
Live Stats:  StatBroadcast
 
Match Notes: Southeast Missouri (PDF)
  
Southeast Opens Four-Match Homestand Friday and Saturday against EIU and SIUE
Southeast Missouri women's volleyball (11-7, 3-1 OVC) returns to Houck Field House Friday and Saturday to start a four-match homestand in Cape Girardeau, Missouri. The Redhawks host Eastern Illinois (1-15, 0-4 OVC) on Friday at 6 p.m. before facing SIUE (7-9, 2-2 OVC) Saturday at 2 p.m.
 
Promotions
Friday, Oct. 11
• National Sausage Pizza Day
    -The first 200 fans to enter Houck Field House will receive a free slice of Imo's sausage pizza.
 
• Post Match Autographs
- The 2019 Redhawks volleyball team will be signing autographs at the conclusion of both Friday and Saturday's matches. 
 
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.
 
Scouting the Opponents
Panthers
Eastern Illinois fell to SIUE and Belmont this past week. Maggie Runge had 12 kills over the two matches while Hannah Siege recorded eight blocks. Bailey Chandler had 41 assists last week, including 24 versus Belmont. The lone Panthers win was over Robert Morris (Pa.), 3-2, at the Youngstown State Red and White Invitational on Sept. 21 in Youngstown, Ohio. 
 
EIU was pegged to finish the season 11th in the OVC. 
 
Cougars
SIUE defeated Eastern Illinois and Tennessee State last week for its first two OVC wins in 2019. Savannah Christian finished the week with 22 kills on a .319 hitting percentage. She had a season-high 14 kills in the win at TSU. Jordyn Klein averaged 6.88 digs per set and had 31 digs versus Eastern Illinois. Klein followed that up with 24 digs at Tennessee State. The Cougars take on UT Martin Friday at 6 p.m. in Martin, Tennessee, prior to Saturday's meeting with SEMO.
 
SIUE was selected to finish the season fifth overall in the conference. Hope Everett and Rachel McDonald were selected to the 2019 Preseason All-OVC Team. 
 
Series History
Panthers
Southeast Missouri leads the all-time series with Eastern Illinois, 35-21-1. SEMO swept the season series in 2018 with wins in Cape and Charleston, Illinois. The two teams last met on Nov. 3, 2018, with the Redhawks the victor, 3-1, at Houck Field House on Senior Day. 
 
Keegan Fornoff dished out a season best seven assists with an ace and Madeline Grimm posted eight digs. Madara Bajare was second on the team with 13 kills (.393) and had a season best four blocks. Haley Bilbruck registered her sixth career double-double with 12 kills (.289) and 12 digs along with four blocks and two service aces. Annie Wehrheim led the SEMO offense with 22 kills on a .340 hitting clip. Claire Ochs tallied 47 assists to surpass 1,000 in her first collegiate season.
 
Cougars
SIUE has a slight 11-8 edge in the all-time series with Southeast. SEMO and the Cougars split the 2018 season series with the home team victorious in each of the two contests. The Redhawks overcame SIUE, 3-1, in the most recent meeting on Nov. 2, 2018.
 
Annie Wehrheim led the Redhawks with 18 kills including seven in the fourth and final set. Mikayla Kuhlmann came off the bench in the third frame and totaled 10 kills on a .350 hitting clip, seven of which came in the last set.
 
OVC Players of the Week
Maggie Adams and Claire Ochs both earned Ohio Valley Conference Player of the Week honors Monday. Adams earned her first career OVC weekly award after she led the Redhawks defense this past week with 18 total blocks (three solo, 15 assists) and averaged 2.25 blocks per set. Ochs nabbed her second career OVC weekly honor and first career OVC Setter of the Week award Monday after she notched 83 assists this past week as Southeast hit at a .224 rate.
 
About Last Week…
Southeast earned wins over Austin Peay and Murray State last weekend and is tied for third in the OVC with Jacksonville State (9-7, 3-1 OVC) behind conference leaders Morehead State (13-4, 4-1 OVC) and Murray State (10-7, 4-1 OVC). SEMO overcame Austin Peay in five and swept Murray State last weekend. 
 
The win over the Governors last Friday was Southeast's first victory over Austin Peay since Sept. 26, 2015 and the first in Clarksville, Tennessee, since Oct. 7, 2011. Saturday's win against Murray State was the first for the Redhawks over the Racers in Murray, Kentucky, since Oct. 12, 2013. SEMO last beat both Murray State and Austin Peay on the road in the same season in 2005.
 
BLOCK PARTY
Southeast registered a program-best 23.0 total team blocks Friday at Austin Peay. Maggie Adams led the Redhawks with a career best 11 while Krista Berns added seven. Mikayla Kuhlmann and Annie Wehrheim each had career highs of six. Claire Ochs had four and Laney Malloy chipped in three. 
 
The Redhawks lead the conference with 170.0 total blocks (2.46 blocks/set) in 2019 which ranks seventh in the NCAA. Adams is fourth in the OVC, averaging 1.07 blocks per set (61 total blocks) and Berns is fifth with 1.06 blocks per set (56 total blocks).
 
Another Ace for Southeast
Southeast ranks first in the conference and 13th nationally with 117 service aces in 2019. SEMO is also 30th in all of NCAA Division I (1st in the OVC) with 1.70 aces per set.
 
Laney Malloy tops the conference with 32 aces (0.46 ace/set, 31st NCAA) which ranks 11th nationally. Claire Ochs is third in the league (24) and Ally Dion is fourth in the OVC with 23. 
 
Da Ally D Show
Junior defensive specialist Ally Dion is one service ace away from tying Jade Mortimer (2013-2016) for first in Southeast program history (25-point rally scoring era from 2008 to present) with 93 career service aces. Dion is currently second on the list with 92 after posting two at Austin Peay last Friday. 
 
Blocking Her Way into the Record Books
Krista Berns had 11 blocks this past weekend at Austin Peay and Murray State to overtake Kelsey Keeve (2011-14, 278 total blocks) for fourth all-time in SEMO history for career blocks (25-point rally scoring era from 2008 to present) with 288. Berns also ranks fourth overall at Southeast with 247 total block assists and sixth for solo blocks with 40. 
 
Ochs the Setter, Not the Tree
Claire Ochs ranks second in the league with 636 assists this season which puts her 20th nationally. Ochs averages 9.22 assists per set for fourth in the OVC. As a team, the Redhawks are second in the the conference with 762 assists and 11.04 assists per set (sixth in OVC).
 
I Dig this Beilsmith Character
Freshman libero Tara Beilsmith paced the Southeast defense with 44 digs (5.50 digs per set) this past weekend. Beilsmith has registered 20 or more digs in each of the past four Redhawks matches. She also compiled 10 assists over the two matches.
 
Beilsmith tops the conference with 333 digs which ranks 16th in the NCAA. She is also third in the OVC with 4.83 digs per set. As a team, the Redhawks are first and second in the league for team digs (1,133, 12th NCAA) and digs per set (16.42). 
 
Redhawk Open OVC Play with Victory
Southeast opened Ohio Valley Conference play on Tuesday, Sept. 24 with a 3-1 (25-13, 25-17, 22-25, 25-13) win over UT Martin in front of 823 fans at Houck Field House for the annual Redhawks Houck "Filled" House match.
 
Mikayla Kuhlmann (.400) and Laney Malloy led the Southeast offense with 11 kills each and Annie Wehrheim added 10. Malloy chipped in 11 digs for the double-double outing. Claire Ochs also tallied a double-double with 10 digs to complement her 36 assists. Kylie Plant was perfect on both of her swings, registering her first two career kills as a Redhawk down the stretch in the first and fourth sets. 
 
Non-Conference Recap
Southeast concluded non-conference play with an 8-6 mark that featured a pair of tournament championships and a four-match win streak entering the OVC slate. SEMO last won two tournaments in 2012 when the team registered a 21-13 record.
 
Southeast captured its Redhawks Invitational Championship with victories over Jackson State, Western Illinois and Evansville. SEMO posted wins over Toledo, North Alabama and Memphis to conclude non-conference play and grab the Beale Street Challenge Championship. The Redhawks also defeated Saint Louis for the first time since 2013 on Sept. 17 and had a win over Jacksonville at the season-opening Missouri State Dr. Mary Jo Wynn Invitational. 
  
500th NCAA Win
Southeast captured the 2019 Redhawks Invitational Championship on Sept. 7 after registering a perfect 3-0 record with three consecutive, 3-0 sweeps. SEMO opened the tournament with wins over Jackson State and Western Illinois before a sweep of Evansville. The victory over Evansville in the tournament finale marked the 500th NCAA Division I win for the Redhawks in school history. Southeast joined the NCAA Division I and the Ohio Valley Conference in 1991. 
 
Redhawk Debuts
Five members of the 2019 team have made their Southeast debuts this season. Freshmen Zoey Beasley and Kylie Plant both made their Redhawk debuts in the win over Jackson State at the Redhawks Invitational Sept. 6. Sophomore Colby Greene and freshmen Tara Beilsmith and Talia Gouard saw action at the season-opening Dr. Mary Jo Wynn Invitational at Missouri State Aug. 30-31. 
 
O Captains! My Captains!
Southeast Head Coach Julie Yankus announced on Sept. 3, Claire Ochs, Laney Malloy and Emily Boggetto were selected as team captains for the 2019 season. The trio were chosen to the leadership positions by their teammates.
 
Redhawk Scrimmage Recap
Southeast competed in the Redhawk Scrimmage Aug. 24 at Houck Field House in preparation for the 2019 season. Head coach Julie Yankus coached the red team while assistant coach Loni Kreun was at the helm of the black team. The red team edged the black team in three sets, 25-15, 25-14, 25-15. Colby Greene paced the red team with a match-high 11 kill outing while Laney Malloy added nine with 12 digs and Talia Gouard tallied eight kills. Krista Berns had six kills to complement her five service aces and four blocks. Claire Ochs dished out 26 assists with 11 digs. Ally Dion finished with a double-double of 13 assists with 16 digs and two aces on black.
 
Missouri Baptist Exhibition Recap
The Redhawks edged Missouri Baptist, 3-0, in the program's third consecutive exhibition match Aug. 12 at Houck Field House. SEMO swept the Spartans by scores of 25-12, 25-16 and 25-20. Colby Greene led the Redhawks with six kills, while Laney Malloy, Krista Berns and Claire Ochs followed close behind with five each. Ochs added a double-double of 29 assists with a match-high 14 digs. The Redhawks added seven blocks, as well.
 
Roster Breakdown
The 2019 Southeast team includes 16 student-athletes and features seven upperclassmen (four seniors and three juniors). SEMO returns 12 players from the 2018 OVC Tournament Team and only lost four letter winners. The 2019 squad also includes four newcomers. 
 
Annie Wehrheim returns for her senior season, moving to the right side hitter position after a Second-Team All-OVC performance in 2018 at outside hitter. Wehrheim was named to the 2019 Preseason All-OVC volleyball team after she was third on SEMO last season with 204 kills.
 
Other top returners for the Redhawks offensively are Laney Malloy and Krista Berns. Malloy paced Southeast with 299 kills and Berns was fifth on the team, chipping in 134 kills.
 
Claire Ochs returns at setter for her sophomore campaign and totaled 1,104 assists while starting in all but one match in 2018. Ochs ranks fourth all-time for assists in a single season during SEMO's 25-point rally scoring era. She also notched a team-best 18 double-doubles last season including a 57-assist and 21-dig outing at Eastern Illinois.
 
Defensively, junior Ally Dion returns at the libero/defensive specialist position after she led the team in 2018 with 395 digs (3.53 digs/set). Senior Emily Boggetto also returns for her final collegiate season at Southeast.
 
Maggie Adams topped the team in 2018 with 105.0 total blocks and Berns tallied 80.0. Berns ranks sixth overall in the SEMO record books for career solo blocks (35), block assists (198) and total blocks (233).
 
Redhawks Add Kreun as Assistant Coach
Head coach Julie Yankus added assistant coach Loni Kreun in May. Kreun most recently spent a season as the Volunteer Assistant Coach at UNC Charlotte where she gained experience in scouting, recruiting, and practice organization. She coordinated logistics for team travel and helped develop the team's social media presence.
 
Before transitioning to coaching, Kreun was an outside hitter at Campbell University in Buies Creek, North Carolina. During her senior year, she led the Camels with a team best 332 kills, which ranked fifth in the Big South Conference. Kreun was named to the Big South Second-Team after competing in 121 sets over 31 matches.
 
OVC Preseason Poll
SEMO was predicted to finished the 2019 campaign sixth overall in the league, the OVC announced Aug. 15. The Redhawks received 146 points in the poll voted on by OVC coaches and sports information directors. Murray State, the 2018 OVC Champions, were selected to repeat this season and Austin Peay was picked second followed by Morehead State, Jacksonville State and SIUE. The Racers earned 12 first-place votes. Rounding out the poll are UT Martin, Tennessee State, Tennessee Tech, Belmont, Eastern Illinois and Eastern Kentucky from seventh through 12th.
 
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 fourth-straight season. SEMO was also awarded their 12th American Volleyball Coaches Association AVCA Team Academic Award for the 2018-2019 season after registering a 3.60 cumulative GPA.
 
Maggie Adams, Madara Bajare, Krista Berns, Haley Bilbruck, Caroline Draver, Keegan Fornoff, Colby Greene, Madeline Grimm, Laney Malloy, Elissa Moylan, Claire Ochs and Annie Wehrheim each were named to the OVC's Commissioner's Honor Roll for the 2018-19 academic year after they achieved at least a 3.25 grade point average. 
 
Keegan Fornoff and Madeline Grimm both earned OVC Medal of Honors after they posted perfect 4.0 grade point averages during the 2018-19 academic year.
 
Looking Ahead
Southeast concludes its four-match homestand next Friday and Saturday. The Redhawks face Morehead State Friday, Oct. 18 at 5 p.m. and then take on Eastern Kentucky on Saturday, Oct. 19 at 2 p.m.