CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. – Top-seeded Southeast Missouri women's volleyball (25-7) advanced to the 2021 Ohio Valley Conference Championship Tournament Final with a 22-25, 25-18, 25-15, 26-24, victory over #5 Murray State (18-12) Friday night at Houck Field House.
 
After splitting the regular-season series, 1-1, in Murray, Kentucky, SEMO prevailed in the 2021 OVC Championship Semifinals to secure a spot in Saturday's Championship Final against #2 Morehead State. First service is set for 6 p.m., CT.
 
#2 Morehead State beat #3 Austin Peay in five sets in the first Semifinal Friday.
 
SEMO will head to the OVC Championship Tournament Final for the second time in three seasons Saturday. In their last OVC Championship Tournament appearance, the Redhawks swept Morehead State for the 2019 title. 
 
The Redhawks have now faced Murray State in two of their last three OVC Championship Semifinal matches and have concluded the Racers seasons with a pair of highly competitive victories both times. Prior to Friday's match, SEMO edged Murray State in five sets in Jacksonville, Alabama, en route to the 2019 OVC Championship Tournament title.
 
Laney Malloy, the 2021 OVC Player of the Year, led the Redhawks offensively with 22 kills on a .465 clip and 10 digs. Zoey Beasley, a 2021 All-OVC First Team honoree, added 17 kills with five digs and three blocks.
 
Colby Greene concluded the Semifinal with 12 kills on a .308 hitting percentage with two blocks. Talia Gouard chipped in eight kills on a .500 rate with two digs and two blocks.
 
The Racers rattled off three straight points to take a 15-13 edge at the media stoppage in the first set.
 
Murray State then extended its lead to 19-15 after a 4-1 rally. Emily Matson hit a kill before a SEMO error to bring on set point at 24-20.
 
The Redhawks fended off set point twice before the Racers grabbed a 1-0 lead (25-22) after a kill by Brooke Lynn Watts, the 2021 OVC Freshman of the Year.
 
SEMO then jumped out a 9-5 lead in the second frame. Beasley added two kills to make it a 15-10 advantage.
 
Malloy then knocked consecutive rally stoppers to push the edge to 18-12.
 
Beasley blasted a winner after a pair of kills by Gouard to make the score 21-15.
 
The Redhawks then utilized a 3-0 run to make it set point at 24-17. Greene and Malloy (2) combined for three kills during the stretch.
 
Malloy then connected on her ninth kill (.692) of the set to even the match at 1-1 after a 25-18 second set.
 
SEMO then started the third stanza with a 7-3 margin and went on a 6-1 run to pull ahead 14-6.
 
Beasley hit a kill before a Racers error to widen the gap to 17-8.
 
SEMO then closed the set on a 6-2 run to take a 2-1 lead in the match after a 25-15 third set. Beasley hit a kill before a Claire Ochs ace sealed the third set win.
 
The Redhawks hit a match-high .438 in the third frame. Beasley had eight kills during the set on a .667 followed by Malloy's four (.375).
 
The fourth set was a race to 15 as Murray State knotted the contest at 12-12 after a 3-0 run. The Racers then retied the set at 13-13 after a kill by Kolby McClelland.
 
SEMO then strung together a 7-0 run to move the needle to 20-13 in favor of the Redhawks. Greene had two kills during the sequence and Malloy added three. Greene then teamed up with Gouard for a huge block.
 
Jayla Holcombe hit three straight kills to cut the Redhawks lead to 22-19.
 
Elissa Moylan and Beasley teamed up for a block to bring on match point at 24-19.
 
Moylan finished the evening with a team-high four blocks.
 
The Racers scored five straight points to even the set at 24-24.
 
SEMO sealed the victory, 26-24, after a Murray State error and a kill by Beasley.
 
Ochs, the 2021 OVC Setter of the Year, dished out 51 assists and 21 digs (match-high) as SEMO hit a .329 as a team. It was her fourth 50 plus assist match of the season.
 
Tara Beilsmith, SEMO's 2021 All-OVC libero, compiled 17 digs and seven assists in the win. Ally Dion added nine digs while Kayla Closset finished with eight.
 
Holcombe led Murray State with 22 kills on a .500 rate. Watts added 13 kills and nine digs. Becca Fernandez, the 2021 OVC Defensive Player, had 17 digs. Bailey DeMier notched 54 assists and nine digs as the Racers hit a .252.
 
Aces finished tied at 3-3. SEMO out blocked Murray State, 7-6.
 
SEMO will face #2 Morehead State in the 2021 OVC Championship Tournament Final Saturday night at Houck Field House. First serve is slated for 6 p.m., CT.