Match #18 | OVC #6
Southeast Missouri (12-5, 3-2 OVC)
at Eastern Illinois (7-8, 0-5 OVC)
Match Information
Date: Friday, Oct. 8, 2021
Location: Charleston, Ill.
Venue: Lantz Arena
First Serve: 6 p.m., CT
All-Time Series: SEMO leads 39-21-1
Last Meeting: 3-0 SEMO Wins | March 21-22, 2021 | Charleston, Ill.
Live Stats: SIDEARM Stats
Live Video: ESPN+
 
Match #19 | OVC #7
Southeast Missouri (12-5, 3-2 OVC)
at Eastern Illinois (7-8, 0-5 OVC)
Match Information
Date: Saturday, Oct. 9, 2021
Location: Charleston, Ill.
Venue: Lantz Arena
First Serve: 4 p.m., CT
Live Stats: SIDEARM Stats
Live Video: ESPN+
 
Match #20 | OVC #8
Southeast Missouri (12-5, 3-2 OVC)
at UT Martin (8-10, 4-1 OVC)
Match Information
Date: Tuesday, Oct. 12, 2021
Location: Martin, Tenn.
Venue: Skyhawk Fieldhouse
First Serve: 6 p.m., CT
All-Time Series: SEMO leads 65-23
Last Meeting: 3-2 UTM Win | Sept. 29, 2021 | Cape Girardeau, Mo.
Live Stats: StatBroadcast
Live Video: ESPN+
 
Media Coverage
Twitter: @SEMOvb
Media Guide: Southeast Missouri
Match Notes: Southeast Missouri
 
Redhawks Hit the Road for Three-Match Swing at Eastern Illinois and UT Martin
Southeast Missouri women's volleyball (12-5, 3-2 OVC) hits the road for a three-match swing against Eastern Illinois (7-8, 0-5 OVC) and UT Martin (8-10, 4-1 OVC).
 
SEMO takes on EIU in a two-match road series Friday and Saturday at Lantz Arena. Match times are set for 6 p.m., CT and 4 p.m., respectively in the weekend series in Charleston, Illinois.
 
The Redhawks then conclude their home-and-home series with Ohio Valley Conference travel partner, UT Martin, Tuesday evening in Martin, Tennessee, at the Skyhawk Fieldhouse. First service is slated for 6 p.m. as the two teams meet for the second time in two weeks.
 
Follow the Redhawks
• Stats will be available for Friday, Saturday and Tuesday's matches on SEMORedhawks.com
• Live video for all three matches will be streamed on ESPN+
• @SEMOvb, the official Twitter page of Redhawks volleyball, will feature live in-match updates all season long.
  
Series History
Panthers
SEMO leads the all-time series with Eastern Illinois, 39-21-1.
 
The Redhawks swept the Panthers twice March 21-22, 2021, in Charleston, Illinois, during the 2020-21 regular season. With the wins, SEMO extended its win streak to 12 and secured its sixth regular-season series sweep in 2020-21.
 
Laney Malloy and Zoey Beasley each tallied 12 kills to pace the SEMO attack in the series opener. Colby Greene led the Redhawks with 13 kills on a rate of .375 in the Monday finale. Claire Ochs had 33 and 36 assists in the two matches. Ally Dion had 15 and 11 digs as the Redhawks libero.
 
SEMO has won the last seven meetings with EIU dating back to Nov. 11, 2017 and the last three matches played in Charleston, Illinois.
 
Skyhawks
SEMO leads the all-time series with UT Martin, 65-23.
 
The Skyhawks edged the Redhawks in five sets on Sept. 29 in the 2021 home-and-home series opener in Cape Girardeau, Missouri.
 
Colby Greene registered a career-best 23 kills on a .283 hitting clip. Laney Malloy chipped in 20 kills and 22 digs while Zoey Beasley finished with 17 kills. Claire Ochs finished with 50 assists and 14 digs to go along with six kills, three blocks and an ace. Tara Beilsmith led the defense with 23 digs and a personal-best eight assists with two aces.
 
Scouting the Opponents
Panthers
Eastern Illinois has fashioned a 7-8 mark in 2021 and is winless (0-5) in league play. The Panthers dropped a four-set decision to SIUE on Tuesday, 25-22, 18-25, 18-25, 25-22. Ella Collins registered 13 kills while Danielle Allen posted 12.
 
The Panthers also fell to UT Martin, 3-1 and 3-0, Oct. 1-2 in Martin, Tennessee, last week. Christina Martinez Mundo led the Panthers in digs over the weekend, totaling 27.
 
EIU was pegged to finish the season 10th in the OVC. Sara Thomas enters her second season as the head coach at Eastern Illinois. Sara Thomas is the sister of former SEMO assistant coach, Carly Thomas.
 
Skyhawks
UT Martin is currently on a four-match OVC win streak. The Skyhawks have an overall record of 8-10 and 4-1 in conference matches.
 
UTM beat Eastern Illinois, 3-1, and 3-0, Oct. 1-2 in Martin, Tennessee.
 
The Skyhawks host Murray State Friday and Saturday before their meeting with SEMO.
 
Redhawks From the Land of Lincoln
Four members of the 2021 Southeast Missouri team hail from the state of Illinois. Seniors Ally Dion (Algonquin, Ill.) and Laney Malloy (Roselle, Ill.) along with sophomore Kayla Closset (Naperville, Ill.) are from the suburbs of Chicago while Lexie Smith is a native of Smithton, Illinois, which is in southern Illinois near St. Louis.
 
Redhawks Capture Pair of Wins in Three-Match Week in Cape
SEMO went 2-1 in its first three home Ohio Valley Conference matches in 2021. The Redhawks dropped a five-setter to UT Martin on Sept. 29 before compiling a pair of 3-0 sweeps of Belmont Oct. 1 and 2.
 
Laney Malloy led the Redhawks offense with 53 kills (4.82 kills/set). She also finished the week with 31 digs (2.82 digs/set). Malloy opened the week with 20 kills and 22 digs in SEMO's five-setter with UT Martin. She then registered 18 kills on a .375 hitting clip in the series opener with Belmont and closed the weekend with 15 kills on a rate of .700 in the series finale with the Bruins. Malloy also totaled five blocks and three assists over the three matches.
 
Tara Beilsmith led the SEMO defense with 56 total digs (5.09 digs/set) to go along with 17 assists (1.55). She opened the three-match week with 23 digs and a career high eight assists in SEMO's five-setter with UT Martin. Beilsmith then added 10 and 23 digs in the Friday and Saturday series with Belmont. She compiled seven assists in the series finale to complement her 23 digs. Beilsmith also totaled five service aces over the three matches and was perfect in serve-receive, not committing an error.
 
Claire Ochs led the Redhawks with 119 assists (10.82) as SEMO hit at a rate of .252 over the three matches. She also finished the week with 37 digs, compiling double-doubles in all three matches. Ochs opened the week with 50 assists and 14 digs with six kills in SEMO's five-setter with UT Martin. She then tallied 41 assists and 12 digs in the series opener with Belmont as SEMO hit at a pace of .311 and concluded the weekend with 28 assists and 11 digs in the series finale with the Bruins as the Redhawks registered a season-best .430 hitting percentage. Ochs also totaled 11 kills, five aces and seven blocks over the three matches.
 
Mackenzie Meehan led the SEMO defense with nine total blocks. The Radford transfer also totaled nine kills and three digs over the three-match week. Meehan registered a career best six kills in the series opener with Belmont on Oct. 1 and tallied a personal high five blocks in the series finale with the Bruins on Oct. 2.
 
Putting on a Clinic
SEMO dominated its series finale with Belmont on Oct. 2, downing the Bruins, 25-10, 25-9, 25-6. SEMO limited the Bruins to 25 total points over the three sets, registering a season-high .430 hitting clip.
 
Laney Malloy led the Redhawks offensively with 15 kills and four digs on an epic .700 hitting percentage. Colby Greene added 12 kills on a .611 rate while Zoey Beasley finished with six (.385) and Talia Gouard had three (.500).
 
SEMO led every category on Belmont including points, 56-17, kills, 42-12, assists, 38-11, and digs, 47-27.
    
Our Libero, Tara Beilsmith, Ladies and Gentlemen
Tara Beilsmith is first in the nation with 367 total digs (first in the OVC) in 2021. She is also third in the OVC with 5.40 digs per set (11th in the NCAA).
 
Beilsmith is also second in the OVC with 23 service aces.

Ochs Leads the OVC for Assists
Claire Ochs paces the league with 690 assists this season, which is second in the NCAA. Ochs is averaging 10.15 assists/set (third in the OVC). She also ranks eighth in the OVC with 198 digs.
  
Ochs paces the Redhawks with 12 double-doubles in 2021.
 
Malloy Ranks Top-3 in the OVC
Laney Malloy leads the league in 2021 with 318.5 total points, 25 service aces, 281 total kills and 805 total attacks.
 
Malloy is also third for attacks per set (11.84), kills per set (4.13), points per set (4.68). Malloy is ninth in the conference with 191 digs.

Malloy has posted double-digit kills in all 17 matches in 2021. She registered a career-best 25 kills to complement 23 digs against Memphis (9/10) and finished the tournament with 20 kills and 16 digs versus Arkansas State (9/11). Malloy opened the Redhawks Invitational with 23 kills and 10 digs on a .457 clip against Tulsa (9/17).
 
The Beas Knees
Junior outside hitter Zoey Beasley is second on the Redhawks with 202 kills (2.89 kills/set) in 2021, which ranks fourth in the OVC. She is also fifth in the league with 562 total attacks and sixth with 221.5 points.
 
Beasley opened OVC play with 16 kills (.289 hitting clip) and 13 kills at Tennessee State Sept. 24-25. She most recently had 17 kills against UT Martin (9/29) and 14 rally stoppers on a .300 clip in the series opener with Belmont (10/1).
 
She was named to her first career all-tournament team at the Redhawks Invitational and started the Invitational with 14 kills on a .300 rate against Tulsa (9/17).
 
Beasley commenced the CEFCU Invitational with her first career double-double of 20 kills and 10 digs against DePaul in the season opener on Aug. 27. She also belted a career-best 21 kills on a .341 hitting percentage with six digs at Western Michigan (Sept. 3).
 
Our Favorite Color Besides Red is Greene
Redshirt-junior rightside hitter Colby Greene is third on SEMO offensively with 176 kills (2.97 kills/set). She knocked a career-best 23 kills on a .283 clip with three digs against UT Martin (9/29). Greene also finished with 19 kills in the series with Belmont (10/1-2) including 12 on a .611 rate in the finale.
 
Greene concluded SEMO's non-conference slate with 11 kills against Tulsa (Sept. 17) and 10 kills versus Central Arkansas (Sept. 18) to earn her first career all-tournament team honor.
 
Greene opened the 2021 campaign with 17 kills on a .245 clip against DePaul (8/27). She chipped in 14 kills in both of SEMO's five-set matches against Western Michigan (Sept. 3) and Indiana (Sept. 4).
 
The Blocking Duo of TG and Liss-Ness
Talia Gouard (48.0 total blocks, 0.80 block/set) and Elissa Moylan (43.0 total blocks, 0.80 block/set) pace the Redhawks in 2021 at the net as SEMO ranks second in the league with 136.5 total blocks (2.01 blocks/set, seventh in the OVC).
 
Colby Greene has chipped in 40.0 total blocks (0.59 block/set) while Zoey Beasley has 28.0 (0.41 block/set) followed by Claire Ochs (24.0, 0.35 block/set) and Laney Malloy (17.0, 0.31 block/set).
 
Leading the Conference
SEMO leads the OVC for team assists (817), team digs (1173), team kills (891), team service aces (108), team total attacks (2,538) and opposing hitting percentage (.141, 13th in the NCAA). The Redhawks are first in the nation for team digs and are second for total attacks.
 
SEMO is also second in the conference for aces per set (1.59) and team total blocks (136.5).
 
The Redhawks rank third for assists per set (12.13), digs per set (17.25), hitting percentage (.209) and kills per set (13.13).
 
Mack Attack
Mackenzie Meehan, a transfer from Radford, compiled career-best six kills with a dig and a block against Belmont on Oct. 1.
 
Meehan has started in the last three Redhawk matches. She led the Redhawks this past week with 9.0 total blocks.
 
Meehan made her Redhawks debut at the 2021 SEMO Invitational Sept. 10-11. The redshirt-junior middle blocker from Crofton, Maryland, finished with three kills and four blocks. She made her first career start at SEMO against Memphis on Sept. 10, tallying two kills and a block.

Welcome to the 1,000 Dig, 1,000 Kill Club, Laney Malloy
Laney Malloy surpassed 1,000 career digs Sept. 24 in SEMO's win over Tennessee State. She paced the Redhawks with 19 kills and 20 digs to go along with three service aces, two assists and a block in the match.
 
Malloy previously overcame 1,000 career kills at Western Michigan's Discover Kalamazoo Classic (Sept. 3-4) and is the first Redhawk since Krissa Gearring (2014-2017) to join the 1,000 kills, 1,000 digs club.
 
Malloy ranks 10th at SEMO in program history with 1,045 career digs and second for career kills with 1,203.

1,000 Digs Club
Both senior setter Claire Ochs and junior libero Tara Beilsmith surpassed 1,000 career digs Sept. 10-11 at the 2021 SEMO Invitational. Ochs has 1,080 in her career to complement 3,609 career assists.
 
Beilsmith has 1,171 career digs as a Redhawk. She is seventh all-time for career digs in the 25-point rally-scoring era (2008-present) followed by Ochs who is ninth.
 
Non-Conference Recap
SEMO notched a 9-3 non-conference record with a pair of tournament titles at Bradley's CEFCU Invitational (Aug. 27-28) and at the Redhawks Invitational (Sept. 17-18).
 
The Redhawks compiled wins over DePaul, Bradley, Central Michigan, Purdue Fort Wayne, Marshall, Memphis, Tulsa, Southern Illinois and Central Arkansas.
 
SEMO fell in five sets at Western Michigan, against the Big Ten's Indiana, and Arkansas State.
 
Laney Malloy was named to the all-tournament all four weekends including MVP twice. Tara Beilsmith (2), Claire Ochs, Zoey Beasley and Colby Greene each were selected to all-tournament teams.
  
Yankus Hits 150 Wins at SEMO
With two wins at the SEMO Invitational, head coach Julie Yankus hit 150 while at the helm of SEMO.
  
Oh Captains, My Captains
Head coach Julie Yankus announced Aug. 26 SEMO's three captains for the 2021 season. Senior outside hitter Laney Malloy, senior setter Claire Ochs and junior libero Tara Beilsmith will lead this year's team. Malloy and Ochs have been Redhawks captains since the 2019 season. For Beilsmith, it is her first season as captain.

Missouri Baptist Exhibition Recap
SEMO opened its 2021 season with a 3-1 (22-25, 25-19, 25-16, 25-18) exhibition victory over Missouri Baptist, the 2021 NAIA National Champions, on Aug. 12.  
 
SEMO Schedule
The Redhawks will play 30 regular-season matches along with an exhibition to start the season. The schedule features four non-conference tournaments including two in Cape and a full 18-match Ohio Valley Conference slate. The Redhawks will host 16 home contests (including an exhibition) in 2021.
   
2020-21 Season Recap
The Redhawks finished with a 14-3 overall record in 2020-21. SEMO posted a 14-2 record in OVC play for third in the league and the no. 3 seed at the 2020-21 OVC Championship Tournament.
 
After dropping their opening weekend at Jacksonville State, SEMO went on a 14-match win streak with seven series victories. SEMO's 14 league wins in 2020-21 are the most in the past 13 seasons as the 2007 SEMO team finished with a mark of 15-5.
 
The Redhawks' OVC winning percentage of .875 was the highest since 2000, when SEMO was perfect in league play, 16-0 (1.000). SEMO last finished an OVC slate with a record of 14-2 in 1995.
  
Team Makeup
The Redhawks return 15 letterwinners and all but one starter from the 2020-21 squad. Defensive specialist Ally Dion and All-OVC outside hitter, Laney Malloy, both return for their fifth-year senior seasons along with true seniors, All-OVC setter, Claire Ochs, Elissa Moylan and Caroline Draver.
 
Other top returners include juniors Tara Beilsmith (starting libero, 2019 All-OVC player), Talia Gouard (starting middle blocker), Colby Greene (starting right side) and Zoey Beasley (starting outside hitter).
 
Malloy led the Redhawks offensively in the spring with 226 kills (3.83 kills per set) for 2020-21 All-OVC First-Team honors. Greene was second on SEMO with 155 kills (2.63 kills/set) and Beasley ranked third on the squad with 153 (2.78 kills/set). Gouard was fourth with 99 kills (1.68 kills/set).
 
Dion was fourth in the OVC for service aces with 23 (0.39 aces per set). She was also ninth in the conference with 216 total digs (team-high). Malloy was second on the team with 186 digs followed by Beilsmith (163) and Ochs (155).
 
Ochs was third in the OVC for assists with 608 (10.31 assists/set) for 2020-21 All-OVC First-Team and All-Tournament Team laurels.
 
The 2021 roster features 10 upperclassmen and two newcomers in freshmen Megan Harris (defensive specialist/libero) and Avery Torrey (rightside hitter).
 
The team also includes nine OVC Tournament Champions from the 2019 season.
 
Academic Excellence
Colby Greene, Izzy Lukens, Addy McAleer and Elissa Moylan earned perfect 4.0 GPAs during the 2020-21 academic year and were named Ohio Valley Conference Academic Medals of Honor recipients.
 
SEMO volleyball also had 13 student-athletes listed on the OVC Commissioner's Honor Roll for the 2020-21 academic year. Maggie Adams, Zoey Beasley, Tara Beilsmith, Kayla Closset, Caroline Draver, Talia Gouard, Colby Greene, Izzy Lukens, Laney Malloy, Addy McAleer, Elissa Moylan, Claire Ochs and Kylie Plant all notched at least a 3.25 grade point average in 2020-21.
 
Looking Ahead
After their three-match road stretch, the Redhawks return to Cape Girardeau to host SIUE Oct. 15-16 at Houck Field House. Match times are set for 6 p.m. and 7 p.m., CT in the Friday, Saturday series with the Cougars.