KALAMAZOO, Mich. – Southeast Missouri women's volleyball (4-1) split its opening day of the Discover Kalamazoo Classic Friday at the University Arena. SEMO lost its first match of the 2021 season, a five-setter (25-19, 19-25, 25-21, 17-25, 12-15) to host Western Michigan (3-1) in the morning before bouncing back and sweeping Purdue Fort Wayne (0-4), 25-14, 25-22, 25-18, in an afternoon contest.
 
Laney Malloy and Zoey Beasley led the Redhawks over the two matches with 24 total kills each. Malloy is now three kills away from 1,000 in her career.
 
Claire Ochs, this week's Ohio Valley Conference Setter of the Week, passed out 72 assists while the reigning OVC Defensive Player of the Week Tara Beilsmith hauled in 28 digs Friday.
 
Western Michigan 3, Southeast Missouri 2
 
SEMO dropped a 3-2 (25-19, 19-25, 25-21, 17-25, 12-15) decision to Western Michigan to open the 2021 Discover Kalamazoo Classic Friday.
 
For the Redhawks it was their first loss of the 2021 season after going undefeated en route to the CEFCU Invitational Championship last weekend in Peoria, Illinois.
 
Beasley registered a career-best 21 kills on a .341 hitting percentage with six digs. Colby Greene added 14 kills on a .367 clip while Malloy posted a double-double of 12 kills and 11 digs.
 
The Redhawks won the opening set and third set while the Broncos evened the match at 2-2 with wins in the second and fourth frames to force a decisive fifth set.
 
Western Michigan jumped out to a 4-1 lead in the fifth set. SEMO then pulled ahead 5-4 on a 4-0 run.
 
Beasley knocked a kill to even the set at 6-6 and start a 3-0 Redhawks rally. She led the Redhawks in the fifth set with three kills followed by Greene who had two.
 
Malloy and Greene each added rally stoppers to widen the margin to 10-8. WMU responded with a 3-0 run to retake the advantage, 11-10.
 
A Broncos ball handling error then retied the frame at 12-12.
 
Western Michigan secured the set win for the match victory with three straight points including a pair of kills from Andelyn Simkins. She concluded the match with 17 kills including four in the final stanza.
 
SEMO opened the contest Friday with a 25-19 first set win. A Beasley kill tied the frame early at 9-9. The Redhawks pulled ahead 14-10 after a 5-0 run that featured a block assist by Elissa Moylan and Ochs along with an Ochs service ace.
 
Greene laid down a pair of kills that sandwiched a Broncos error to increase the lead to 17-11.
 
Malloy placed an ace after a Beasley kill to push the score to 22-16. Malloy then knocked a kill to bring on set point at 24-18. SEMO claimed the stanza on a bad set by the Broncos, 25-19.
 
The Redhawks hit a stellar .464 in the first set
 
In the second set, WMU grew its advantage to 18-13 after a kill by Madison Merz. Ochs would cut the deficit to 20-15 after a winner.
 
SEMO would come as close as 24-19 after a kill by Beasley coupled with a Broncos attack error. Simkins then batted a kill to even the match at 1-1 with a 25-19 second set.
 
Beasley connected with seven kills in the second frame.
 
The third set was a back and forth affair with eight ties and five lead changes. Consecutive kills from Moylan and Talia Gouard provided a slight 12-11 edge for SEMO.
 
Beasley chipped in a kill to make the cushion, 18-15, before a 4-0 run by WMU gave the Broncos a 19-18 advantage.
 
The Redhawks closed the set on a 7-2 run to claim the frame 25-21. Ally Dion placed an ace after a Greene kill to wrap up the stanza. Greene registered five kills during the frame.
 
SEMO hit at a rate of .333 in the set.
 
The Broncos rallied for a strong 25-17 fourth set. WMU utilized an 8-1 run to take an 18-7 edge.
 
A block by Merz along with a kill by Maggie King pushed the Broncos advantage to 20-10. King added another kill to make the scoreboard read 23-13.
 
SEMO would add four more points on kills from Malloy (2) and Beasley before a rally stopper by Abi Wilcoxson brought on a fifth set tiebreaker.
 
Simkins and King combined for 10 kills (five each) in the fourth frame.
 
Ochs dished out 49 assists with eight digs as the Redhawks concluded the match with a hitting percentage of .242.
 
Beilsmith paced the defense with 22 digs. Dion chipped in 10.
 
King led WMU with 20 kills. Logan Case passed out 57 assists as the Broncos finished with a rate of .259. Mairead Boyle tallied 19 digs.
 
Western Michigan led every category except aces, which SEMO held a 5-3 advantage. Beilsmith, Malloy, Dion, Ochs and Beasley each had a service ace.
 
WMU out blocked the Redhawks, 7-6.
 
SEMO 3, Purdue Fort Wayne 0
 
The Redhawks concluded the opening day of the Discover Kalamazoo Classic Friday with a 3-0 sweep (25-14, 25-22, 25-18) of Purdue Fort Wayne.
 
Malloy paced the offense with 12 kills and had a career-best matching four service aces.
 
SEMO commenced the match with an 11-6 advantage courtesy of a Beasley kill and Mastodons error.
 
The Redhawks distanced themselves from Purdue Fort Wayne, 19-11, with a 4-0 run that featured an ace by Beilsmith and kill by Greene after consecutive Purdue Fort Wayne errors.
 
SEMO went on another 4-0 rally to bring on set point at 24-13. Malloy had a kill and service ace during the sequence.
 
Talia Gouard then belted a kill after a Redhawk error to claim the set, 25-14.
 
SEMO started the second set with an early 11-7 lead that the Dons cut to one on a 4-1 swing.
 
A 7-1 rally by the Redhawks extended the advantage to 19-12. Malloy hit a kill before an ace to start the spurt.
 
Addy McAleer then slammed a kill to make it set point at 24-17. The Mastodons fought off set point for five-straight points before a kill from Malloy sealed the set for the Redhawks at 25-22.
 
Malloy and Greene both had four kills in the middle set.
 
Purdue Fort Wayne opened the final frame with a 4-0 lead. SEMO responded with a 5-0 rally to take a slight 5-4 advantage.
 
The Redhawks then tallied a 5-1 run to pull ahead, 16-12. Beasley opened the rally with a kill and Greene finished the sequence with a solo block.
 
Ally Dion placed an ace to widen the gap to 21-16. Dion led the defense with 10 digs.
 
Malloy then connected with her fifth kill of the set before two Dons errors made it match point at 24-17.
 
Gouard sealed the sweep with a rally stopper to finalize the match at 25-18.
 
Ochs tallied 23 assists with seven digs in the win.
 
Greene chipped in six kills while Gouard and Beasley each had three.
 
Beilsmith and Kayla Closset each compiled seven digs.
 
SEMO led the service ace differential, 8-0, and out blocked Purdue Fort Wayne, 8-2.
 
Katie Crowe led the Dons offense with nine kills. Madison Gates finished with 18 assists and Rachael Crucis had 14 digs.
 
Looking Ahead
SEMO closes the Discover Kalamazoo Classic Saturday against the Big Ten's Indiana. Initial serve is set for 3:30 p.m., CT at the University Arena.