CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. – Southeast Missouri women's volleyball (6-3) concluded its 2021 SEMO Invitational with a five-set loss (20-25, 25-16, 23-25, 26-24, 15-13) to Arkansas State (6-3) Saturday evening at Houck Field House.
 
Laney Malloy paced the Redhawks offense with 20 kills and 16 digs on a .241 hitting clip. Colby Greene added 15 kills on a .317 rate and Zoey Beasley finished with 11 and eight digs.
 
Claire Ochs dished out 52 assists to complement 20 digs and eight kills while Tara Beilsmith grabbed 26 digs with seven assists and two aces.
 
Beilsmith and Malloy were both named to the 2021 SEMO Invitational all-tournament team at the conclusion of the match. Malloy led SEMO with 61 kills and 47 digs at the tournament. Beilsmith concluded the Invitational with 90 digs while Ochs handed out 139 assists with 48 digs.
 
SEMO and Arkansas State exchanged set wins until the Red Wolves secured the decisive fifth set 15-13.
 
After pulling off an epic comeback in the fourth frame to force a fifth, SEMO jumped out to an early 3-0 lead in the final set.
 
Beasley and Malloy each had kills to bookend a Red Wolves attack error. The duo both had four kills during the set.
 
Arkansas State then evened the set at 3-3 with three straight points. The Red Wolves pulled ahead 8-5 on a 5-1 rally.
 
After a Redhawks timeout, Colby Greene and Malloy (2) pounded kills to come within one, 9-8.
 
Arkansas State then regrew its advantage to 12-8 after back-to-back kills by Paulina Sobolewska and Macey Putt combined with a Red Wolves block assist.
 
SEMO continued to fight and clawed back within one on two more occasions. Rally stoppers from Claire Ochs and Beasley to go along with an Arkansas State attack error made the score, 12-11.
 
Beasley and Malloy both added kills to fight off match point twice (14-13) before Josie Stanford connected on the match-securing kill.
 
Arkansas State took an early 1-0 lead in the match after a 25-20 opening frame. The Red Wolves hit the media break with a slight 15-14 edge.
 
Arkansas State extended that advantage to 22-17 after a 5-0 run. Macey Putt hit two of the Red Wolves' final three kills down the stretch as SEMO came as close as 24-20 after a kill by Beasley.
 
The Red Wolves hit at a match-best pace of .368 in the first set. Malloy tallied six kills in the initial set Saturday.
 
SEMO evened the match at 1-1 after the second frame. An 8-3 rally by the Redhawks made the cushion, 21-13.
 
Beasley then posted a kill before a block assist by the Iowans, Elissa Moylan and Greene to extend the margin to 23-14.
 
Greene and Malloy both added kills as SEMO grabbed the frame, 25-16.
 
In the third set, Arkansas State took a 15-9 lead after a 4-0 run. Back-to-back kills by Greene cut the deficit to 17-14. Greene had three kills during a 3-1 rally by SEMO.
 
Consecutive kills by Brianna Hollingshed distanced Arkansas State from SEMO, 20-15.
 
SEMO responded with a 4-0 run to pull within a point, 23-22. Beasley then added another kill to ward off set point before Putt concluded the frame with a kill, 25-23.
 
The Redhawks forced a decisive fifth set after an epic comeback fourth frame. Greene knocked seven kills during the stanza.
 
Arkansas State took an early 14-6 lead that SEMO cut to 16-13 after a 3-0 rally.
 
Gouard knocked a kill before three straight rally stoppers from Kayla Closset as SEMO pulled within one, 19-18.
 
Closset finished the match with four kills and eight digs.
 
Consecutive Red Wolves blocks along with a Putt kill regrew the lead to 22-18.
 
SEMO then went on a 5-0 run to take a 23-22 advantage.
 
Arkansas State then had match point at 24-23 before SEMO closed the set with a 3-0 run.
 
The Red Wolves had an attack error before a kill from Malloy. Moylan forced a fifth frame with a block assist to complete the fourth set comeback at 26-24.
 
SEMO totaled 100 digs in the match with four Redhawks in double-figures. Ally Dion chipped in 11 while Megan Harris had five. 
 
Talia Gouard added seven kills.
 
Putt led Arkansas State with 18 kills while Kendahl Davenport had 13 and six blocks. Julianna Cramer finished with 26 assists and Lauren Musante had 23. Tatum Ticknor registered 25 digs.
 
Kansas City won the 2021 SEMO Invitational with a 3-0 record. De'Janae Arnold was named the MVP while Maddie Renn and Alli Schomers joined her on the all-tournament team.
 
2021 SEMO Invitational All-Tournament Team
De'Janae Arnold, MVP, Kansas City
Maddie Renn, Kansas City
Alli Schomers, Kansas City
Macey Putt, Arkansas State
Tatum Ticknor, Arkansas State
Laney Malloy, SEMO
Tara Beilsmith, SEMO
Megan Taylor, Marshall
Autumn Hamilton, Memphis
 
SEMO stays in Cape Girardeau for its second-straight tournament Sept. 17-18. Southeast Missouri hosts Tulsa, Southern Illinois and Central Arkansas in the Redhawks Invitational, to close out its nonconference slate.