CHARLESTON, Ill. – Southeast Missouri women's volleyball (11-2, 11-2 OVC) extended its win streak to 11 matches with a 25-18, 25-15, 25-22 sweep of Eastern Illinois Sunday evening at Lantz Arena.
 
The 3-0 sweep was SEMO's fifth in the 2020-21 campaign.
 
Laney Malloy and Zoey Beasley each tallied 12 kills to pace the SEMO attack. Malloy chipped in nine digs to finish just shy of a double-double.
 
Talia Gouard connected on a career-best nine kills on a .333 hitting clip. Colby Greene added seven kills, connecting at a rate of .400.
 
Claire Ochs dished out 33 assists with seven digs.
 
Libero Ally Dion led the defense with 15 digs in her third-straight start at the position.
 
SEMO opened the match with a 4-1 early lead. The Panthers pulled ahead 8-6 and then distanced themselves from the Redhawks with a 4-0 run (12-8).
 
SEMO gradually chipped away at the deficit, coming within a point on a Greene kill, 14-13.
 
Trailing 17-14, the Redhawks concluded the frame on an 11-1 run to take the set, 25-18.
 
Kayla Closset notched back-to-back service aces during the rally and served out the set with SEMO leading 19-18. She finished the match with two aces, six digs and three assists.
 
In the second set, SEMO utilized a 7-1 rally to pull ahead 17-11. Ochs would then elect for a kill over an assist to make the advantage, 18-12.
 
The Redhawks then wrapped up the frame on a 7-1 run (25-15) with Ochs serving the final three points.
 
SEMO hit a match-high .448 in the middle stanza Sunday and only committed three errors to go-along with 16 kills.
 
The Redhawks then claimed the series opener with a 25-22 third set, paced by Malloy's six kills.
 
The Panthers jumped out to a 9-4 lead in the frame that grew to 15-12 on a kill from Laurel Bailey.
 
SEMO then switched the lead in favor of the visitors with a 5-0 run (17-15) keyed by four kills (two each) from Greene and Beasley.
 
Back-to-back kills from Greene and Gouard made the margin 19-17.
 
The Panthers retook the lead 20-19 before SEMO closed out the match on a 6-2 run.
 
Addy McAleer slammed a kill to make the scoreboard read 21-20. She concluded the contest with nine digs and two kills.
 
Malloy then registered consecutive kills after a winner from Gouard to bring on match point at 24-21.
 
Danielle Allen would add a kill for the Panthers before a rally stopper from Malloy sealed the victory.
 
SEMO outhit EIU .265 to .182 with 46 kills compared to the Panthers 31.
 
The Redhawks also placed eight aces while Eastern Illinois only had one. Malloy, Ochs and Closset each had a pair while McAleer and Dion finished with one apiece.
 
SEMO led the blocks differential, 3-1, paced by Maggie Adams (3) and Greene (2).
 
The Redhawks also led the assists (40-28) and digs (54-46) categories statistics-wise.
 
Bailey and Allen led the Panthers attack with 12 kills each.
 
SEMO closes out its regular-season series with Eastern Illinois Monday. First serve for the Redhawks final regular-season road match is set for 5 p.m., CT at Lantz Arena.