MARTIN, Tenn. – Southeast Missouri women's volleyball (15-5, 6-2 OVC) downed UT Martin (10-11, 6-2 OVC) in four sets (16-25, 25-20, 25-18, 25-21) Tuesday evening at the Skyhawk Fieldhouse to even the regular-season series at 1-1.
 
In the second meeting between the two Ohio Valley Conference travel partners in just under a two week span, SEMO handed the Skyhawks their second loss in conference play and halted the UTM win streak at six matches.
 
With the victory, SEMO knotted the 2021 series with UT Martin at 1-1, with each institution capturing a victory on the road.
 
The Redhawks also extended their win streak to five matches and moved into a tie for second in the conference with UTM.  The triumph is SEMO's third in five days.
 
Zoey Beasley, the reigning OVC Offensive Player of the Week, matched a career-high 21 kills on a .388 hitting clip.
 
The Skyhawks grabbed the opening set, 25-16, and outhit SEMO, .219 to .062 in the period.
 
UTM opened the match with a 6-1 lead that increased to 12-5 after a 5-0 run.
 
UT Martin then grew its advantage to 21-9, going on a 7-1 rally down the stretch.
 
SEMO came as close as 23-16 on a 6-1 run before the Skyhawks took the set after a timeout. Beasley, Laney Malloy and Colby Greene each knocked kills before Malloy registered a solo block in the sequence. 
 
SEMO then tied the match at 1-1 with a 25-20 second set victory.
 
SEMO commenced the second frame with a 3-1 edge before a 4-0 rally distanced the Redhawks from UTM, 9-4.
 
Izzy Lukens then placed an ace to provide SEMO a 15-9 lead.
 
Beasley knocked a pair of rally stoppers to push the margin to 17-12. She accumulated eight kills in the second set alone on a .667 rate.
 
Malloy then blasted a kill to make the scoreboard read 20-15. She added an ace after a Claire Ochs setter kill to put the score at 22-16.
 
UT Martin responded with a 3-0 run to cut the SEMO lead to 22-19.
 
After a Redhawks timeout, Beasley hit three kills to secure the stanza, 25-20.
 
SEMO hit a match-high .429 in the second set before compiling a .366 in the third frame. The Skyhawks also had their best hitting set of the match in the second, finishing with a .375 percentage.
 
SEMO continued its fast start, jumping out to a 3-0 lead in the third set that moved to 6-2.
 
A kill from Ochs via an Ally Dion assist coupled with a Skyhawks error made it a four-point lead, 14-10.
 
Karen Scanlon hit a kill to cut the SEMO advantage to one, 15-14, before a 3-0 rally by the Redhawks. Mackenzie Meehan teamed up with Malloy for a block assist before winners from Malloy and Talia Gouard.
 
Gouard and Ochs added two more kills after a UTM service error to widen the gap to 22-16.
 
Meehan then combined with Ochs for a block to bring on set point at 24-17. Scanlon knocked a kill before Meehan secured the set with a block assist with Beasley.
 
Meehan led the Redhawks with a personal-best matching seven blocks Tuesday. The Radford transfer from Crofton, Maryland, has now accumulated seven blocks in each of the last two matches.
 
SEMO opened the fourth set with a 5-2 lead that UTM erased with three-straight points early.
 
Trailing 8-7, SEMO pulled ahead 11-8 after a 4-0 run. Ochs and Beasley had kills before a pair of Skyhawk errors.
 
Beasley added two more rally stoppers to go along with a Meehan block and a UTM miscue to make it a 15-10 Redhawks edge.
 
The Skyhawks responded with a 4-0 rally of their own to pull within one, 15-14.
 
After a Redhawks timeout, SEMO took a 19-14 advantage after a 4-0 run. Meehan had a kill and a block assist with Greene, while Megan Harris registered an ace before a UTM attack error.
 
The Skyhawks came within two points, 21-19, after three unanswered points.
 
Kills from Malloy and Ochs bookending a UTM error brought on match point at 24-19.
 
The Skyhawks fended off match point with two more points before a Malloy kill (25-21).
 
Malloy finished with eight kills and nine digs Tuesday.
 
Ochs dished out 34 assists with a personal-best matching eight kills (.538) and seven digs. Gouard chipped in seven kills, hitting .389 and Greene concluded the contest with six kills.
 
Tara Beilsmith led the defense with a match-high 25 digs and seven assists. Dion added eight digs and Harris posted seven.
 
Scanlon paced UTM with 14 kills and 12 digs while Logan Wallick had 12 kills and Zoe Merriweather notched 10.
 
Haeleigh Paulino divvied out 23 assists with 16 digs and Addy Vaughn had 17 assists.
 
SEMO outhit UT Martin, .253 to .180, in the match.
 
UTM held a slight edge in aces, 7-5, while the Redhawks led the blocks differential, 8-6. 
 
The Redhawks next return to Cape Girardeau, Missouri, to host SIUE Friday and Saturday at Houck Field House. Match times are set for 6 p.m. and 7 p.m., CT in the weekend series with the Cougars.