CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. – Talia Gouard registered a career best 14 kills as Southeast Missouri women's volleyball (13-2, 13-2 OVC) swept Murray State (5-10, 5-10 OVC), 25-19, 25-23, 25-16, Sunday evening at Houck Field House.
 
With the victory, SEMO extended its win streak to 13 matches. The 3-0 sweep was the Redhawks seventh in 2020-21.
 
Gouard, a sophomore from Houston, Texas, paced the SEMO attack with 14 kills on a .333 hitting clip with three blocks. She opened the match with seven kills on a .545 percentage in the first set.
 
Laney Malloy and Colby Greene each concluded the win with nine kills each.
 
Claire Ochs dished out 33 assists with 14 digs for the double-double outing.
 
Libero Ally Dion led the SEMO defense with 23 digs while Malloy chipped in 15. Addy McAleer and Kayla Closset each chipped in eight.
 
In the opening set, SEMO distanced itself from Murray State, 10-6, with a 4-0 run.
 
Another 4-0 SEMO rally pushed the edge to 14-8. Gouard connected on a kill to start the run before teaming up with Ochs for a block assist. The Racers also committed a pair of errors during the sequence.
 
Murray State responded with a 7-1 rally to knot the frame at 16-16. The set would be tied once more at 18-18 after a SEMO error before the Redhawks concluded the opening period on a 6-1 run.
 
Leading 15-14 in the second set, SEMO grew its margin to 19-14 after a McAleer ace capped a 4-0 run.
 
Jayla Holcombe knocked a kill to pull the Racers within 22-20. Ochs then elected for a winner over an assist to bring on set point at 24-21.
 
Morgan Price and Holcombe registered consecutive kills before Gouard sealed the second frame with a rally stopper, 25-23.
 
SEMO hit a match-high .256 in the third stanza Sunday.
 
With a 10-9 lead in hand in the third set, SEMO pulled away from the visiting Racers with a 6-0 run to take a 16-9 advantage and prompt a Murray State timeout.
 
Gouard and Zoey Beasley then each posted kills to grow the edge to 18-11.

The Racers came as close as 22-15 before Malloy finished the evening with three kills during the final four points of the match. Malloy blasted five of her nine kills Sunday in the final set.
 
SEMO outscored the Racers 54-32 in the match and led the kill and assist differential, 42-24, and, 40-21, respectively.
 
The Redhawks placed eight aces compared to Murray State's one. Malloy finished with three while McAleer and Closset tallied two each. Dion also connected on an ace Sunday.
 
Murray State outblocked SEMO, 7-4. Beasley tallied three and Maggie Adams notched one.
 
Holcombe led the Racers with eight kills. Kolby McClelland had six with 12 digs. Callie Anderton compiled 19 assists and 14 digs. Becca Fernandez posted 16 digs.
 
Zoey Beasley competed against her sister, Taylor Beasley, Sunday afternoon. Both sisters finished with two kills and five digs.
 
SEMO concludes its 2020-21 regular season Monday afternoon at 2 p.m., CT in the series finale with the Racers. The Redhawks will recognize senior Maggie Adams on Senior Day Monday prior to the match.