CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. – Top-seeded Southeast Missouri women's volleyball (24-7) swept #8 Eastern Illinois (11-18), 25-13, 25-15, 25-18, in the opening round of the 2021 Ohio Valley Conference Championship Tournament Thursday night at Houck Field House.
 
SEMO will now take on #5 Murray State (18-11) in the 2021 OVC Championship Tournament Semifinals Friday night. First service is set for 6 p.m., CT following the opening semifinal between #2 Morehead State (19-11) and #3 Austin Peay (21-11) slated for 3 p.m.
 
Morehead State beat #7 Belmont (9-20), 25-16, 25-21, 25-17, and Austin Peay defeated #6 Tennessee Tech (16-14), 27-25, 25-15, 25-19, earlier Thursday.
 
Colby Greene led the Redhawks Thursday with 14 kills on a stellar .591 hitting percentage. Laney Malloy, the 2021 OVC Player of the Year, added a double-double of 10 kills with 10 digs and an ace.
 
Zoey Beasley, a 2021 All-OVC First-Team performer, added eight kills.
 
With a slight 9-8 lead, SEMO went on a 9-1 run to pull ahead 18-9.
 
Beasley, Greene, Elissa Moylan and Ochs each then registered kills to make the advantage 22-10.
 
Greene then connected on two more kills before Talia Gouard claimed the first frame, 25-13, after a rally stopper.
 
Gouard finished Thursday's match with four kills on a .444 with three blocks and two digs.
 
SEMO hit a match-best .425 to start the First Round matchup with EIU. Greene had six kills (.667) in the opening set while Malloy posted five (.308).
 
The Panthers took an early 7-5 edge in the second set before a kill by Beasley and an ace from Kayla Closset evened the stanza at 7-7.
 
SEMO then went on a 3-0 run to widen the margin to 13-10 and prompt an EIU timeout.
 
Out of the stoppage, the Redhawks scored three straight points before increasing its advantage to 23-13 on a 6-0 run with Closset serving.
 
Greene added a kill to bring on set point at 24-14 before the Redhawks claimed the set with a winner from Malloy, 25-15.
 
SEMO then commenced the third set with a 10-4 advantage.
 
The Panthers clawed within three, 14-11 and 15-12, after a pair of kills by Danielle Allen, a 2021 All-OVC First Team player.
 
The Redhawks then widened the gap to 20-14 after three straight Panthers errors.
 
Greene then hit two more kills as SEMO wrapped the match with a 25-18 third set.
 
Greene knocked five kills on a .625 clip in the third frame Thursday.
 
Ochs, the 2021 OVC Setter of the Year, handed out 32 assists with seven digs, three kills and two blocks as SEMO finished with a rate of .340.
 
The Redhawks closed the match with a .276 second set and .280 third set, respectively.
 
Tara Beilsmith, a 2021 All-OVC Second-Team player, notched nine digs and four assists. Closset also grabbed nine digs with two aces and two assists. Ally Dion had six digs and two assists.
 
Moylan added three kills on a .333 with two blocks.
 
SEMO outscored Eastern Illinois, 50.0 to 31.0, and led the kills category, 42-28.
 
The Redhawks also had three aces while the Panthers finished with none.
 
SEMO out blocked EIU, 5-3, and also led assists (41-28) and digs (47-37).
 
Allen led the Panthers with 10 kills. Kylie Michael added nine with 10 digs.
 
Summerlyn Smith had 17 assists while Bailey Chandler finished with eight. Ashley Sharkus grabbed 10 digs.
 
The host Redhawks face #5 Murray State in the 2021 OVC Championship Semifinals Friday. First serve is slated for 6 p.m., CT at Houck Field House.
 
The Semifinals open Friday with #2 Morehead State against #3 Austin Peay at 3 p.m.