#2 Southeast Missouri (20-10, 12-4 OVC) 
vs. #7 Tennessee Tech (13-16, 9-7 OVC)
Match Information
Date: Thursday, Nov. 21, 2019
First Serve: 12 p.m., CT
Location: Jacksonville, Ala.
Venue: Pete Mathews Coliseum
Series: Southeast leads 42-13, 0-1 in 2019
 
Media Information
Video: ESPN+
Live Stats: StatBroadcast
 
Match Notes: Southeast Missouri

2019 OVC Volleyball Championship Bracket
 
#2 Redhawks Take on #7 Tennessee Tech Thursday to Open 2019 OVC Championship 
The #2-seeded Southeast Missouri women's volleyball team (20-10, 12-4 OVC) will face #7 Tennessee Tech (13-16, 9-7 OVC) in the opening round of the 2019 Ohio Valley Conference Volleyball Championship Thursday at 12:30 p.m. at the Pete Mathews Coliseum in Jacksonville, Alabama, at top seed Jacksonville State.
 
Follow the Redhawks
• Live stats will be available for Thursday's match and all OVC Championship matches this weekend. Live stats links can be found on GoSoutheast.com. 
• Thursday's match and all OVC Volleyball Championship matches this weekend will also be streamed live on ESPN+
• @SEMOvb, the official Twitter page of the Redhawks volleyball team, will feature live in-game updates all season long.
 
OVC Championship Tournament History
Southeast is 27-20 at the OVC Championship Tournament dating back to 1991 and 1-1 as the no. 2 seed from 1998 on. Against Tennessee Tech, the Redhawks are 2-1 at the OVC Championship. The Redhawks are 2-2 in OVC Championship matches held in Jacksonville, Alabama (2006, 2007 and 2009).
 
Southeast was last the no. 2 seed in 2012 when the Championship was held in Morehead, Kentucky. SEMO overcame Jacksonville State in four before falling to #3 Belmont in the semifinals, 2-3.
 
The Redhawks last won an OVC Championship Tournament match in 2012 when they overcame #7 Jacksonville State, 3-1, in Morehead, Kentucky. 
 
Southeast last won the OVC Championship in 2000, which capped their three-peat of OVC tournament titles from 1998 to 2000. Southeast has also won in 1994 and 1996.
 
Series History
Southeast leads the all-time series with Tennessee Tech, 42-13.
 
The Golden Eagles grabbed the lone season meeting in 2019, 1-3, in SEMO's second OVC match of the season in Cookeville, Tennessee. Laney Malloy led the Redhawks offense with 14 kills and 10 digs for her 20th career double-double. Claire Ochs also registered a double-double of 34 assists and 15 digs.
 
The Redhawks last beat Tennessee Tech, 3-2, on Oct. 6, 2018 at Houck Field House in Cape Girardeau, Missouri. Annie Wehrheim recorded a career-best 24 kills including six in the fifth set in the contest. Claire Ochs had a team best 54 assists with 14 digs.
 
In Championship play, SEMO leads TTU, 2-1, having met in 1993 (semifinals), 1998 (semifinals) and 2007 (quarterfinals). The Golden Eagles won the most recent Championship meeting, 3-1, in 2007.
 
Scouting the Opponent
Tennessee Tech is the no. 7 seed in the 2019 OVC Championship and finished the regular-season with a 13-16 mark with a 9-7 record in league play. TTU finished the season tied for fifth in the OVC standings with Austin Peay, UT Martin and SIUE. The Golden Eagles swept Tennessee State Friday and defeated Belmont 2-1 Saturday to conclude the regular season. Rachel Thomas recorded 22 kills on a .481 hitting percentage. Taylor Dorsey had 12 blocks, including a career-high 11 against Belmont to earn OVC Co-Defensive Player of the Week. Ashley Hand dished out 68 assists to help the Golden Eagles hit .324 as a team. She also had 21 digs over the two matches. Carly Skrabak finished the week with 28 digs and 10 assists. 
 
Redhawks Against the Rest of the Field in 2019
 
#1 Jacksonville State –1-0
Southeast fought past Jacksonville State in four sets on Nov. 2, 2019 at Houck Field House in Cape Girardeau, Missouri, to extend its win streak to six matches.
 
#3 Murray State – 1-1
Southeast split the regular-season series with Murray State, 1-1, this season. The Redhawks swept Murray State in the first meeting on Oct. 5, 2019 before dropping a 1-3 decision in Southeast's regular-season home finale on Nov. 8. 
 
#4 Morehead State – 1-0
The Redhawk swept Morehead State in the only meeting in 2019 on Oct. 18.
 
#5 Austin Peay – 2-0 
Southeast swept the regular-season series with Austin Peay in 2019. The Redhawks beat the Governors in five sets both times, first on the road on Oct. 4 and then in Cape Girardeau, Missouri, on Nov. 7. 
 
#6 UT Martin – 2-0 
The Redhawks also swept the regular-season series with UT Martin this season. SEMO bested the Skyhawks in four to open the OVC schedule on Sept. 24, 2019 at Houck Field House and then in Martin, Tennessee, in a five-set Tuesday mid-week match on Oct. 29.
 
#7 Tennessee Tech – 0-1 
Southeast dropped its lone meeting in 2019 with Tennessee Tech, 1-3, in Cookeville, Tennessee, on Sept. 28.
 
#8 SIUE – 0-2 
The Redhawks fell in a pair of matches against SIUE in 2019. Southeast was overcome by the visiting Cougars in five on Oct. 12 at Houck Field House and then were swept in Edwardsville, Illinois, on Nov. 15.
 
Beilsmith Named OVC Co-Defensive Player and Newcomer of the Week
Freshman libero Tara Beilsmith was named the OVC Co-Defensive Player and Newcomer of the Week, the league announced Monday. Beilsmith is the third Redhawk to earn an OVC weekly award in 2019 as Southeast Missouri women's volleyball has won five total awards this season. The honor marks the first two career OVC weekly awards for Beilsmith.
 
Beilsmith led the SEMO defense with 54 total digs (9.0 digs/set) as the Redhawks split its final regular-season matches this past week on the road. She opened the week with a career-best 33 digs Friday at SIUE. Beilsmith then added a match-high 21 digs Saturday in a sweep of Eastern Illinois in the regular-season finale. She also finished the week with eight assists and two service aces.
 
Regular-Season Finale Recap
Southeast split its final two regular-season matches on the road with SIUE and Eastern Illinois. The Redhawks were swept by the Cougars last Friday in Edwardsville, Illinois. SEMO then closed out the regular-season with a sweep of EIU Saturday in Charleston, Illinois. 
 
Tara Beilsmith led the Redhawks defense this past week with 54 total digs. She led Southeast with a career-best 33 digs Friday at SIUE and then added a match-high 21 digs Saturday in a sweep of Eastern Illinois in the regular-season finale. 
 
Claire Ochs notched 57 total assists this past week as Southeast hit at a .206 clip. Ochs dished out a match-high 28 assists Friday at SIUE before adding 29 assists Saturday in the regular-season finale at Eastern Illinois. SEMO's attackers connected at a .350 rate Saturday against EIU. 
 
Laney Malloy led the SEMO attackers with 17 total kills. Mikayla Kuhlmann added 15 this week and Maggie Adams finished with 12. 
 
We See You 2012 Redhawks 
With a win over Eastern Illinois on Saturday, the 2019 Redhawks (20-10, 12-4 OVC) matched the 2012 season for conference wins with 12. The 20 overall victories are SEMO's second-highest win total since the 2012 season when SEMO had 21 wins (21-13, 12-4 OVC). 
 
Adams the Blocking Machine
Junior middle blocker Maggie Adams was named the OVC Defensive Player of the Week for the second time this season on Nov. 5.
 
In OVC play, Adams leads the conference this season with 79 total blocks, averaging 1.30 blocks per set. Overall, she ranks fourth in the OVC with 110 total blocks in 2019 and 1.08 blocks per set. The 110 total blocks are a career-best for Adams in a season at SEMO. 
 
Adams ranks seventh in Southeast program history (25-point rally scoring era from 2008 to present) for both career block assists (200) and career total blocks (232). She is also sixth in the SEMO history books for a single season with 93 block assists.
 
Offensively, Adams is first in the conference with a .352 hitting percentage (156 kills).
 
BLOCK PARTY
The Redhawks lead the conference and rank 23rd in the NCAA Division I with 264.0 total blocks (2.32 blocks/set, first in the OVC) in 2019. In conference play, SEMO tops the league with 146.0 total blocks (2.39 blocks/set). In OVC play, Maggie Adams leads the conference this season with 79 total blocks, averaging 1.30 blocks per set. She ranks fourth in the OVC with 110 total blocks in 2019 and 1.08 blocks per set. Krista Berns is fifth in the OVC with just under a block per set (0.95 blocks/set, 94 total blocks).
 
Southeast registered a program-best 23.0 total blocks at Austin Peay on Oct. 4 which ranks fifth in the NCAA for five-set matches in 2019. The Redhawks notched their second highest block total this season (16.0) in their second meeting with the Governors on Nov. 7.
 
Another Ace for Southeast 
Southeast ranks first in the conference and sixth nationally with 202 service aces in 2019. SEMO is also 14th in all of NCAA Division I (1st in the OVC) with 1.77 aces per set. In conference play, Southeast leads the conference with 111 aces and 1.82 aces per set.
 
Laney Malloy tops the conference with 42 aces (0.37 aces/set). The Redhawks are also second, fourth and fifth in the league for total aces with Claire Ochs (41, 0.36 aces/set), Emily Boggetto (37, 0.32 aces/set) and Tara Beilsmith (33, 0.29). Ally Dion also has 32 service aces (0.28 aces/set) in 2019. 
 
Malloy overcame Dion (36, 2017) for first in Southeast program history (25-point rally scoring era from 2008 to present) for service aces in a single-season with 42. Ochs is second on the list with 41 this season.
 
Ochs the Setter, Not the Tree
Claire Ochs ranks second in the league with 1,066 assists this season. Ochs averages 9.36 assists per set for fifth in the OVC. In OVC play, Ochs is fourth with 584 assists (9.57 assists/set).
 
Ochs dished out 45 assists against Jacksonville State on Nov. 2 to surpass 2,000 assists (2,170) in her career as a Redhawk. She ranks fourth all-time in Southeast program history during the 25-point rally scoring era (2008 to present) for career assists with 2,170.
 
Ochs has also accumulated 320 digs (2.81 digs/set) in 2019 and led SEMO with a career-high of 25 at UTM on Oct. 29.
 
I Dig this Beilsmith Character
Freshman libero Tara Beilsmith is first in the conference with 561 digs and is also third in the OVC with 4.92 digs per set. In OVC play, she is second with 317 digs and 5.20 digs per set.
 
Beilsmith has registered 20 or more digs in 15 matches this season and has produced double-digit digs in all but one match in 2019. She notched a career-best 33 digs this past Friday at SIUE. 
 
She ranks sixth in Southeast program-history during the 25-point rally scoring era (2008 to present) for digs in a single season with 561.
 
As a team, the Redhawks are first and third in the league for team digs (1,891, 24th in the NCAA) and digs per set (16.59). 
 
What Can't Laney Do?
Besides leading the conference in aces (42), Laney Malloy is fourth in the OVC with 415.5 total points (3.64 points/set) in 2019. She is also third with 1,235 total attacks (10.83 attacks/set, fifth) and has compiled a team-high 345 kills for seventh in the OVC. 
 
The 345 kills are the most for Malloy in a single-season at Southeast as she posted 299 in 2018. She also has a career-best 320 total digs this season.  
 
Malloy ranks fourth in Southeast program history (rally scoring era from 2008 to present) for attack attempts in a single season with 1,235. She had 973 total attack attempts last season and has accumulated 2,208 in her career (tied for eighth in Southeast program history) as a Redhawk.
 
DA Ally D Show
Junior defensive specialist Ally Dion needs 10 digs to reach 1,000 in her career as a Redhawk. Dion posted 340 as a freshman in 2017 and had 395 last season as a sophomore. In 2019, Dion has notched 255 digs. 
 
Get Out Ya Brooms!! 
With a sweep of Eastern Illinois on Nov. 16, Southeast has totaled 10, 3-0 sweeps this season. In OVC play, SEMO has registered six sweeps out of its 16 conference matches in 2019. 
 
During Southeast's Division I era, SEMO notched 21 sweeps in 1999 (28-6, 17-1 OVC). Southeast also posted a program-best 25 sweeps in 1990. 
 
Redhawks Open OVC Play with Victory 
Southeast opened OVC play on Sept. 24 with a 3-1 win over UT Martin in front of 823 fans at Houck Field House for the annual Redhawks Houck "Filled" House match.
 
Mikayla Kuhlmann 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 
With a victory Thursday over #7 Tennessee Tech, Southeast will advance to play the winner of #3 Murray State and #6 UT Martin in the semifinals Friday at 3:30 p.m. The 2019 OVC Championship final will then be contested on Saturday at 6 p.m.