2020-21 OVC Volleyball Championship
Semifinals
 
#3 Southeast Missouri (14-2, 14-2 OVC)
vs. #2 Jacksonville State (15-1, 15-1 OVC)
Match Information
Date: Thursday, April 1, 2021
Location: Morehead, Ky.
Venue: Johnson Arena
First Serve: 2 p.m., CT
All-Time Series: Jacksonville State leads SEMO, 17-15
Live Video: ESPN+
Live Stats: StatBroadcast
 
Media Coverage
Twitter: @SEMOvb
Media Guide
 
#3 Redhawks Face #2 Jacksonville State in 2020-21 OVC Championship Semifinals Thursday in Morehead, Kentucky
No. 3-seed Southeast Missouri women's volleyball (14-2, 14-2 OVC) will take on #2 Jacksonville State (15-1, 15-1 OVC) in the semifinals of the 2020-21 Ohio Valley Conference Championship Thursday in Morehead, Kentucky. First service is set for 2 p.m., CT at Johnson Arena.

Follow the Redhawks
• Stats will be available for Thursday's match on GoSoutheast.com.
• Thursday's match will be streamed live on ESPN+.
• @SEMOvb, the official Twitter page of Redhawks volleyball, will feature live in-game updates all season long.
 
OVC Championship Tournament History
Southeast is 30-20 at the OVC Championship Tournament dating back to 1991 and 5-2 as the no. 3 seed from 1998 on. Against Jacksonville State, the Redhawks are 1-1 at the OVC Championship Tournament. The Redhawks are 3-5 in Morehead, Kentucky, (1995, 2003, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013) with the tournament last held on the campus of Morehead State in 2013.
 
SEMO was last the no. 3 seed in 2007. The Redhawks fell to #6 Tennessee Tech in the quarterfinals that season in Jacksonville, Alabama.
 
Prior to that occasion, SEMO was the no. 3 seed in Martin, Tennessee, in 2002. The Redhawks beat #6 Austin Peay, 3-0, in the quarterfinals, then swept #2 Morehead State in the semifinals before falling to top seeded UT Martin in the Championship, 3-0.
 
SEMO went 3-0 at the OVC Championship Tournament in 2019 to capture the Redhawks sixth title and first since 2006.
 
Prior to 2019, SEMO also won the OVC Tournament Championship in 2006, 2000, 1999, 1998 and 1994.
 
Series History
Jacksonville State leads the all-time series with SEMO, 17-15, as the two teams met twice in the first weekend of the 2020-21 season Feb. 7-8. The Gamecocks won both matchups, which were SEMO's only two loses in regular-season action.
 
JSU beat SEMO in four sets (20-25, 18-25, 25-20, 16-25) in the season opener on Feb. 7. The Gamecocks won the series with a 3-0 sweep (25-20, 25-22, 25-22) on Feb. 8.
 
Laney Malloy led the SEMO attack in its opening week at Jacksonville State with 28 kills and 18 digs. Malloy registered 14 kills and nine digs in each of the matches at JSU, posting a hitting clip of .273 in the series finale on Feb. 8.
 
Claire Ochs ran the SEMO offense in their opening week at Jacksonville State with 70 assists as the Redhawks hit at a pace of .231 over the two matches. Ochs opened the season with 34 assists Feb. 7 and concluded the series with 36 on Feb. 8. Ochs recorded her first double-double of the campaign and 37th in her career with 36 assists and 12 digs Feb. 8. She also posted five kills in the second match of the series and finished the series with four service aces.
 
Tara Beilsmith led the Redhawks defense in their opening week at Jacksonville State with 34 digs. She posted 22 in the season opener Feb. 7 and finished the series with 12 on Feb. 8. She only had one receiving error in the two matches at JSU. Beilsmith also finished the week with five assists and an ace.
 
Scouting the Gamecocks
Jacksonville State posted a 15-1 mark in the 2020-21 regular season to clinch a share of the OVC Regular Season Title with Morehead State. The Gamecocks won back-to-back OVC Regular Season Titles in 2019 and 2020-21.
 
In the final week of the regular-season, JSU split its pair of matches at Morehead State to lose the top seed in the OVC Championship Tournament. The Gamecocks overcame Morehead State in five on March 28 before falling in three sets on March 29.
 
The Gamecocks led all teams with four First-Team All-OVC selections. Lexie Libs was tabbed first team for a third-straight season, while Lena Kindermann earned the honor for a second-straight year. Newcomers Katie Montgomery and Courtney Glotzbach also made the list in their debut seasons within the league. Glotzbach was named the OVC Freshman of the Year while Kindermann was selected as the league's Co-Player of the Year. Libs was tabbed the OVC Setter of the Year for the second-straight season.
 
Redhawks Against the Rest of the Field in 2020-21
 
1. Morehead State – 0-0
SEMO did not face Morehead State in the 2020-21 OVC schedule. The Eagles received a bye to the Championship Match.
 
2. Jacksonville State – 0-2
Jacksonville State beat SEMO twice to open the 2020-21 OVC season Feb. 7 (3-1) and Feb. 8 (3-0) in Jacksonville, Alabama. The Redhawks then rallied off 14 straight victories to finish the regular season.
 
4. SIUE – 2-0
SEMO captured the regular-season series against SIUE with a pair of wins Feb. 28 (3-1) and March 1 (3-0). SIUE paused team activities due to COVID-19 protocols Wednesday, eliminating them from the Championship.
 
Malloy and Ochs Named First-Team All-OVC
Senior outside hitter Laney Malloy and junior setter Claire Ochs were both named to the 2020-21 All-OVC First-Team, the league announced Wednesday. The honors mark the third career All-OVC awards for both Malloy and Ochs who were also both named to the 2019 All-OVC Tournament Team.
 
Malloy was awarded her second consecutive All-OVC First-Team laurel after she was second in the league in 2020-21 with 251.5 total points (4.49 points/set, third). The Roselle, Illinois native, ranks third in the OVC with 3.91 kills per set and 219 total kills on a .221 hitting clip this season. Malloy tops the league with 665 total attacks and 11.88 attacks per set. She has accumulated 22 service aces (0.39 aces/set, fifth) for fourth in the conference. Malloy has also totaled 174 digs, which is second on the team, 23 assists and 19 total blocks this season. Malloy has been tabbed OVC Offensive Player of the Week once in 2020-21 and has registered seven double-double outings.
 
Ochs was selected to her second consecutive All-OVC Volleyball Team Wednesday and her first career First Team. The Chesterfield, Missouri, native ranks fourth in the OVC with a team-high 583 assists in 2020-21, as SEMO hit at a rate of .224. She is averaging 10.41 assists per set, good for third in the league. Ochs has also compiled 64 kills, 17 service aces, 152 digs and 18.0 total blocks this season. She has registered nine double-double performances in 2020-21 and has dished out 28 or more assists in each match this season.
 
Dion Named OVC Defensive Player of the Week
Senior libero Ally Dion was unanimously named the OVC Defensive Player of the Week, the league announced Tuesday.
 
Dion led SEMO in the final week of the regular-season with 44 digs (7.33 digs/set) as the Redhawks swept their series with Murray State.
 
Dion posted 23 digs in Sunday's opener with Murray State before concluding the regular-season Monday with 21 digs. She did not commit a receiving error in serve-receive over the two matches. Dion also registered two assists and two service aces over the final two regular-season matches. The honor marked the first career OVC weekly laurel for Dion.
 
14 Wins in 2020-21
SEMO's 14 league wins in 2020-21 is 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 is 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.

About Last Week
SEMO swept Murray State in its regular-season series finale March 28-29. The Redhawk extended their win streak to 14 matches with their eighth 3-0 sweep of the season (fourth consecutive) and seventh regular-season series sweep.
 
Talia Gouard led the SEMO offense in the final week of the regular-season with 23 kills on a .288 hitting clip. Gouard, a sophomore from Houston, Texas, paced the SEMO attack in the series opener against Murray State with a career-high 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. Gouard then posted nine kills in the regular-season finale on Monday on a .227 pace. Gouard finished the week with seven total blocks including four in the Monday regular-season finale. 
 
Ally Dion led the SEMO defense in the final week of the regular-season with 44 digs for OVC Defensive Player of the Week honors. Dion has started at libero for the Redhawks in each of the last six OVC regular-season matches. She leads the Redhawks in 2020-21 with 208 digs (3.71 digs/set).
 
Claire Ochs ran the offense in the final week of the regular-season, dishing out 66 assists against Murray State Sunday and Monday. Ochs posted 33 assists in both matches against the Racers. She also registered a double-double outing in the Sunday matchup, compiling 14 digs. Ochs finished the week with eight kills, an ace and three blocks.
 
Addy McAleer posted 18 digs in the final week of the regular-season, as SEMO swept Murray State. McAleer notched eight in the series opener before closing the week with 10 Monday. McAleer also had a kill, three assists and four service aces over the two matches with the Racers.
 
Zoey Beasley was second on the team with 17 kills in the final regular-season series including 15 Monday. Laney Malloy and Colby Greene each chipped in 14 kills over the two matches.
 
Greene is our Favorite Color After Red
Junior Colby Greene is second on SEMO with 149 kills (2.66 kills/set) in 2020-21. She has accumulated double-digit kills in nine matches this season and posted a campaign-high of 17 twice (at Belmont on Feb. 21 and vs. SIUE on Feb. 28).
 
Greene, a right side hitter from North Liberty, Iowa, most recently had nine kills and five kills against Murray State in the final week of the regular season. She also tallied 13 kills at Eastern Illinois on March 22.

The Beas Knees
Sophomore Zoey Beasley is third on the team with 147 kills (2.83 kills/set) and has posted double-digit kills in nine matches this season.
 
The outside hitter from Paragould, Arkansas, has posted a career-best 17 kills twice in 2020-21 and heads into the 2020-21 OVC Championship after a 15-kill outing against Murray State on Monday.
 
Ending the Regular Season on a High Note
Middle blocker Talia Gouard has come on strong in the last four regular-season matches. The sophomore from Houston, Texas, has posted nine or more kills in each of the last four matches.
 
Gouard improved upon her career-high for kills in consecutive matches. She notched 10 on a .714 hitting clip at Eastern Illinois before compiling a career-best 14 kills on a .333 rate Sunday against Murray State.
 
Adams with the Block
Senior Maggie Adams is third in the OVC with 59.0 total blocks (1.05 blocks/set, fourth).

Talia Gouard is second on the team with 50.0 total blocks (0.89 blocks/set, 12th in the OVC) followed by Colby Greene (40.0, 0.71 blocks/set) and Zoey Beasley  (30.0, 0.58 blocks/set).
 
Offensively, Adams has posted 43 kills (0.77 kills/set) this season.
 
Block Party!!
SEMO ranks fifth in the OVC with 117.0 total blocks (2.09 blocks/set, fifth).
 
SEMO ACE!!
SEMO ranks first in the conference with 108 total team aces this season and 1.93 aces per set.
 
Ally Dion paces the Redhawks with 23 aces, (0.41 aces per set), which puts her third in the league. Laney Malloy is fourth in the OVC with 22 aces (0.39 aces per set) and Kayla Closset is sixth in the conference with 0.38 aces per set (18).
 
Claire Ochs has tallied 17 (0.30 aces/set) and Tara Beilsmith has 10 (0.28 aces/set). Izzy Lukens (0.16) and Addy McAleer (0.28) have each notched eight.
 
Once You Dig In
SEMO leads the OVC with 944 total digs in 2020-21, averaging 16.86 digs per set (second). Four Redhawks have 100 or more digs this season led by Ally Dion's 208 which ranks 11th in the OVC.
 
Laney Malloy is second with 174 followed by Tara Beilsmith (163) and Claire Ochs (152). Kayla Closset has registered 82. Addy McAleer has 51 and Zoey Beasley has tallied 49.
 
2020-21 OVC Preseason Poll
Four Redhawks were featured on the 2020-21 Preseason All-Ohio Valley Conference team as the Redhawks were selected to finish first in the preseason poll. SEMO, the 2019 OVC Tournament Champions, earned 10 first place votes and 222 total votes in the predicted order of finish that was selected by OVC Head Volleyball Coaches and Sports Information Directors.
 
The Redhawks also had a league-best four players selected to the 2020-21 Preseason All-OVC volleyball team in middle blocker Maggie Adams, libero Tara Beilsmith, outside hitter Laney Malloy and setter Claire Ochs. All four were named to 2019 All-OVC Teams.
 
2019 OVC Tournament Champions
The #2-seeded Southeast Missouri women's volleyball team swept #4 Morehead State, 26-24, 25-19, 28-26, at the Pete Mathews Coliseum to capture the 2019 Ohio Valley Conference Tournament Championship on Nov. 23, 2019. The title was the sixth for SEMO and first since 2006. With the victory, SEMO earned an automatic qualification to the 2019 NCAA Division I Women's Volleyball Championship where it faced #9-ranked Kentucky on Dec. 6, 2019.
 
SEMO also matched the 2000 Redhawks that totaled 23 wins (23-9, 16-0 OVC) with the victory on Nov. 23, 2019. Laney Malloy, Mikayla Kuhlmann and Claire Ochs were each named to the 2019 OVC All-Tournament Team. Ochs was selected as the tournament MVP. The trio is the first Redhawks awarded OVC All-Tournament Team honors since Colleen Yarber garnered the distinction in 2012.
 
Malloy led the Redhawks offense with 16 kills and 10 digs for the double-double on a .267. Kuhlmann chipped in 12 on a .417 hitting clip. Annie Wehrheim finished with seven kills (.300) and Maggie Adams had five kills and four total blocks. Ochs dished out 32 assists with eight digs and five kills. Tara Beilsmith led the SEMO defense with a match-high 18 digs.
 
SEMO concluded the 2019 campaign with a 23-11 record, finishing 12-4 in OVC play (second in the regular season).
 
Team Makeup
SEMO returns 12 players from the 2019 OVC Tournament Championship team. The 2020-21 Redhawks team features seven upperclassmen including Maggie Adams, Laney Malloy and Claire Ochs who were all starters and All-OVC performers in 2019. SEMO also returns its All-OVC libero in sophomore Tara Beilsmith.
 
There are also six newcomers on the 2020-21 squad including Radford sophomore transfer Mackenzie Meehan and freshmen Addy McAleer, Nwakaego Nwagbuo, Izzy Lukens, Lexie Smith and Kayla Closset.
 
Looking Ahead
With a victory Thursday over #2 Jacksonville State, SEMO will take on top-seeded Morehead State in the 2020-21 OVC Championship Final Friday at 5 p.m., CT at the Johnson Arena in Morehead, Kentucky.
 
SIUE paused team activities due to COVID-19 protocols Wednesday, eliminating them from the Championship. Morehead State received a bye to the Championship Match.