Match #23
Southeast Missouri (11-11, 6-4 OVC)
vs. Tennessee Tech (9-12, 6-3 OVC)
Match Information
Date: Friday, Oct. 21, 2022
First Serve: 6 p.m., CT
Location: Cape Girardeau, Mo.     
Venue: Houck Field House
All-Time Series: SEMO leads TTU 43-14, 1-1 in 2021
Last Meetings: SEMO 3-1 Win | Oct. 22, 2021 | Cookeville, Tenn. 
TTU 3-0 Win | Oct. 23, 2021 | Cookeville, Tenn.
Live Stats: StatBroadcast
Live Video: ESPN+
Tickets 

Match #24
Southeast Missouri (11-11, 6-4 OVC)
vs. Tennessee Tech (9-12, 6-3 OVC)
Match Information
Date: Saturday, Oct. 22, 2022
First Serve: 2 p.m., CT
Location: Cape Girardeau, Mo.
Venue: Houck Field House
Live Stats: StatBroadcast
Live Video: ESPN+
Tickets
 
Media Coverage
Twitter: @SEMOvb
Match Notes: Southeast Missouri (PDF)
2022 Southeast Missouri Cumulative Statistics | 2022 Southeast Missouri OVC Statistics
 
Redhawks Host Tennessee Tech this Weekend as the Battle for the OVC Continues
Southeast Missouri women's volleyball (11-11, 6-4 OVC) will stay home this weekend as they welcome Tennessee Tech (9-12, 6-3 OVC) Friday and Saturday to Houck Field House. Match times are set for 6 p.m., CT and 2 p.m. for the weekend series. 
 
Friday is Breast Cancer Awareness Night. Fans will receive free water bottles courtesy of SoutheastHealth, as supplies last, and are encouraged to wear pink. Saturday, students will receive a free fanny pack compliments of Legends Cape Girardeau, while supplies last. Saturday is also Alumni Day. The Redhawks will honor their alumni during the match and will host a social gathering at the conclusion of the match before the seventh annual SEMO Trivia Night & Charity Auction, presented by The Bank of Missouri. 
 
SEMO is currently fourth in the OVC standings and one match behind TTU who is third. 
 
Follow the Redhawks
• Stats will be available for Friday and Saturday's matches on SEMORedhawks.com
• Both matches will be streamed on ESPN+
• @SEMOvb, the official Twitter page of Redhawks volleyball, will feature live in-game updates all season long.
 
Promotions
• Friday is Breast Cancer Awareness Night
-Fans will receive free water bottles courtesy of SoutheastHealth while supplies last
-Fans are encouraged to wear pink 
- Fans can learn more and donate towards cancer research at SEHFoundation.org
• Saturday, students receive a free fanny pack compliments of Legends Cape Girardeau while supplies last
• Saturday is Alumni Day. 
-The Redhawks will honor their alumni during the match and will host a social gathering at the conclusion of the match before the seventh annual SEMO Trivia Night & Charity Auction, presented by The Bank of Missouri
 
Scouting the Opponent
The Golden Eagles are 9-12 (6-3 OVC) in 2022 and are currently on a three-match win streak. TTU most recently swept its series against SIUE, with a pair of 3-0 sweeps on Oct. 14-15 in Cookeville, Tennessee. The Golden Eagles opened the week with a 3-1 home victory over Morehead State on Oct. 12.
 
Taylor Dorsey was awarded OVC Offensive Player of the Week and freshman Jordan Karlen was honored as the league's Setter and Newcomer of the Week for the third time this season. 
 
For the week, Karlen averaged 11.50 assists per set, compiling 115 over three Tech wins while leading the team to a .249 attack percentage as a unit. In the team's four-set win over Morehead, the rookie dished out 43 assists with eight digs. She racked up 36 more in each of the team's 3-0 sweeps of SIUE, posting her fifth double-double of the season on Friday with 11 digs. Tech hit .318 in the Friday tilt and .272 on Saturday.
 
Karlen ranks second in the OVC this season in assists per set with a mark of 9.61. She also ranks second in total assists, compiling 682 in 71 sets so far this season.
Dorsey was unstoppable attacking out of the middle during the team's perfect showing, accumulating 38 kills and 11 blocks while hitting a robust .425 in 10 sets. The senior led all attackers with 16 terminations while hitting .371 in the team's victory over Morehead State.

On Friday, she again led all attackers with 13 kills in just three sets, hitting .579 for the fourth-highest attack percentage in a three-set match in the rally-scoring era in Tech history. She added six blocks to the mix as well. She rounded out the weekend with nine more kills and a .368 attack.

The Birmingham, Alabama, native leads the OVC this season in attack percentage, hitting .356 in 78 sets. Her 207 kills rank third among the top-10 hitting percentage in the lead as well.

Series History
SEMO leads the all-time series with Tennessee Tech, 43-14. SEMO split the 2021 series with the Golden Eagles in Cookeville, Tennessee. The Redhawks won the initial meeting, 3-1, on Oct. 22 before falling to TTU, 3-0, in the series finale on Oct. 23. 
 
Laney Malloy led the offense with 28 kills and had 17 digs in the series.
 
Colby Greene registered 24 kills (3.43 kills per set) on a .281 hitting percentage. Greene opened the series with 12 kills and five blocks in the opener (Oct. 22, 2021). She then posted 12 kills on a .360 hitting clip in the finale Oct. 23, 2021. Greene also finished the week with 26.5 points (3.79 points/set), five blocks, a dig and an assist.
 
Claire Ochs led the Redhawks with 82 assists (11.71 assists/set) and 20 digs. Ochs opened the series with 49 assists and nine digs in the opener (Oct. 22, 2021). She then followed up that performance with 33 assists and 11 digs in finale (Oct. 23, 2021). Ochs also concluded the week with eight kills (1.14 kills/set) on a .278 hitting clip with a block and an ace.
 
Tara Beilsmith led the SEMO defense with 31 digs (4.43 digs/set) to go along with nine assists. She opened the series with 21 digs on Oct. 22, 2021.
 
Little Rock Road Recap
SEMO fell to OVC newcomer Little Rock Tuesday in five sets (25-22, 25-20, 20-25, 21-25, 12-15) at the Jack Stephens Center in Little Rock, Arkansas. 
 
With the loss, SEMO and LR split the home-and-home regular-season series between the two travel partners, 1-1. 
 
The Redhawks had three players finish with double-doubles, but the real star was Kaelyn O'Brien who notched her first career triple-double. O'Brien finished with 11 kills, 19 assists, three blocks, and a career-best 15 digs. 
 
Izzy Lukens and Tara Beilsmith also added double-doubles Tuesday.
 
Lukens dished out 21 assists with 11 digs and three aces for her seventh double-double in 2022. 
 
Beilsmith, the three-time reigning Ohio Valley Conference Defensive Player of the Week, also earned her first career double-double with 22 digs, a career-high 10 assists and an ace. 
 
Beilsmith has registered 20 or more digs in eigth of the last nine Redhawk matches. 
 
Zoey Beasley led the Redhawks offensively with 17 kills, four digs, and three blocks while hitting .256. The senior from Paragould, Arkansas, competed in her home state of Arkansas for the first time as a collegiate student-athlete Tuesday. 
 
Triple Double!! 
Kaelyn O'Brien notched her first career triple-double on Tuesday at Little Rock. O'Brien finished with 11 kills, 19 assists, three blocks, and a career-best 15 digs. The Woodbridge, Virginia, setter, compiled the first triple-double for SEMO since Julie Shives posted the feat with 46 assists, 10 kills, and 10 digs against Murray State on Sept. 20, 2011.
 
O'Brien, a transfer from Virginia Commonwealth, leads the Redhawks with nine double-doubles in 2022. 
 
In the OVC, she ranks first for triple-doubles and 13th overall in the NCAA. 
 
Beilsmith Named OVC Defensive Player of the Week for Third-Straight Week
Senior libero Tara Beilsmith was named the Ohio Valley Conference Defensive Player of the Week for the third-straight week, the league announced Monday.
 
For Beilsmith, it is her league-leading sixth OVC Defensive Player of the Week award out of eight weeks this season.
 
Beilsmith led SEMO defensively with 66 digs and 18 assists (1.80 assists/set) as the Redhawks went 3-0 last week with a home win over Little Rock and a series sweep of Southern Indiana. She averaged 6.60 digs per set over the three-match week. 
 
Beilsmith opened the week with 25 digs and seven assists in the Monday meeting with Little Rock on Oct. 10. 
 
She then grabbed 19 digs with six assists in the opener with Southern Indiana on Oct. 14 before wrapping the series with 22 digs and five assists in the finale on Oct. 15. 
 
For Beilsmith, a Weldon Spring, Missouri, native, the OVC honor is her 12th career weekly laurel and 11th career Defensive Player of the Week. 
 
Beilsmith Leads the NCAA 
Tara Beilsmith ranks first overall in the NCAA and first in the OVC with 501 digs this season (as of Oct. 18, 2022). Beilsmith is also first in the league and second in the nation with 6.11 digs per set. In OVC play, Beilsmith leads the conference with 7.13 digs per set (221 digs).
 
Beilsmith Approaching 2K Digs
Tara Beilsmith, a senior libero from Weldon Springs, Missouri, is 35 digs away from eclipsing 2,000 career digs as a Redhawk. She has registered 501 in 2022 and currently has 1,965 career digs. 
 
Beilsmith ranks first overall in the SEMO record books for digs in a single season (660 in 2021, 25-point rally scoring era, 2008 to present) and is second for career digs (25-point rally scoring era, 2008 to present) behind Molly Davis (2,223 digs, 2006-09). 
 
Where We Rank
The Redhawks lead the league for digs (16.90, 1,386 total digs) and are ranked seventh in the nation in total digs (14th for digs/set) as of Oct. 18, 2022. 
 
They also lead the OVC in attacks per set (37.51 attacks/set, 3,076 total attacks, second) and are ranked 10th in the nation for total attacks.
 
SEMO is also second in the conference for blocks (2.21 blocks/set, 181.5 total blocks, third) and opposing hitting percentage (.185), and fourth for aces (1.37 aces/set, 112 total aces, fifth)
 
Mackenzie Meehan is first in the league with 1.22 blocks per set (52nd in the NCAA, 78 total blocks, sixth in OVC).
 
Zoey Beasley ranks second in the OVC with 266 total kills (3.24 kills/set, fourth) and 751 total attacks. She is also third in scoring with 292.0 points. Colby Greene is averaging 2.30 kills per set (16th).

In OVC play, Beasley is third with 3.84 kills per set (119 kills) and 4.10 points per set (127.0 points). 
 
Southern Indiana Recap 
Zoey Beasley led the Redhawks this past week with 42 kills (4.20 kills/set) on a .327 hitting percentage as SEMO went 3-0 with a home win over Little Rock and a series sweep of Southern Indiana. Beasley opened the week with 11 kills on a .333 clip with six digs in the Monday meeting with Little Rock on Oct. 10. She then posted a match high 18 kills, hitting .333 with six digs in the opener with Southern Indiana on Oct. 14. Beasley wrapped the series on Oct. 15 with a match-best 13 kills on a .313 percentage. She also finished the week with three blocks, 14 digs and an assist. 
 
Izzy Lukens led the Redhawks with 61 assists (6.10 assists/set) and 31 digs (3.10 digs/set). Lukens opened the week with 18 assists, seven digs and an ace in the Monday meeting with Little Rock on Oct. 10. She then added 19 assists with eight digs in the opener with Southern Indiana on Oct. 14 before wrapping the series with a double-double performance of 24 assists, 16 digs and two aces in the finale on Oct. 15.
 
Kaelyn O'Brien was second on the Redhawks offensively with 28 kills (2.80 kills/set) and 51 assists (5.10 assists/set). She opened the week with 16 assists, eight kills, and five digs in the Monday meeting with Little Rock on Oct. 10. O'Brien then added 16 assists with nine kills and five digs in the opener with Southern Indiana on Oct. 14 before wrapping the series with a double-double performance of 11 kills, 19 assists and three digs in the finale on Oct. 15. 
 
Mackenzie Meehan added 21 kills (2.10 kills/set) with 10 blocks (1.00 blocks/set) over the three matches. Kayla Closset chipped in 20 kills (2.00 kills/set) with 30 digs (3.00 digs/set) while Colby Greene finished with 17 kills (1.70 kills/set). 
 
Closset led SEMO against Little Rock with 12 kills on a .500 clip.
 
Non-Conference Recap 
SEMO fashioned a 5-7 mark during the non-conference portion of its schedule. The Redhawks won a pair of matches (2-1) at their home SEMO Invitational to open the campaign before going 1-2 the next three weeks to wrap non-conference tournament play.
 
Tara Beilsmith was named OVC Defensive Player of the Week three-straight weeks to open the season and earned all-tournament honors twice. Colby Greene and Zoey Beasley also were selected to all-tournament teams. 
 
Beilsmith paced the defense with 258 digs (5.61 digs/set) to go with 59 assists (1.28 assists/set).
 
Greene led the offense with 134 kills (2.98 kills/set) and 150 total points (3.33 points per set). Beasley chipped in 130 kills (2.83 kills/set) with 145.5 points (3.16 points per set).
 
Izzy Lukens led the setter corps with 249 assists (5.41 assists/set) followed by Kaelyn O'Brien (117 assists, 3.77 assists/set) and Jenny Shook (44 assists, 2.93 assists/set).
 
Redhawk Debuts
Newcomers Rachel Eddy, Jenny Shook, Ramiri Gardner, Kaelyn O'Brien along with redshirt freshman Avery Torrey all made their SEMO debuts at the SEMO Invitational (Aug. 26-27). 
 
Taylor Beasley and Kalia Morris both made their Redhawk debuts at the Redbird Classic (Sept. 2-3). Taylor Beasley finished with two digs against Illinois State (Sept. 3). Morris added eight digs and two assists over the three matches. 
 
Eddy posted a service ace against Jackson State (Aug. 27).
 
Shook, a freshman setter from Plainfield, Illinois, compiled 16 assists and eight digs to go with an ace against Jackson State (Aug. 27). Gardner posted a kill against Arkansas-Pine Bluff (Aug. 26).
 
Lexie Smith made her first three career starts, finishing with 20 kills (1.67 kills/set) and 10 blocks (0.83 blocks/set). She notched nine kills in the season opener with Arkansas-Pine Bluff (Aug. 26) before adding eight against North Dakota State (Aug. 26). She totaled five kills in each of the final two SEMO matches. 
 
O'Brien, a redshirt junior transfer setter from Virginia Commonwealth (VCU), registered 35 assists (4.38 assists/set) and 12 digs (0.13 digs/set) over two matches. In her SEMO debut, O'Brien posted 12 assists and six digs with four kills against Arkansas-Pine Bluff (Aug. 26). O'Brien then added a career best 23 assists with six digs in the night cap against North Dakota State (Aug. 26).
 
Torrey compiled 14 kills over the weekend including five kills and six blocks versus NDSU (Aug. 26) and six kills against Jackson State (Aug. 27). She made her first two career starts against APB (Aug. 26) and NDSU (Aug. 26).
 
Oh Captains, My Captains
Head coach Julie Yankus announced Aug. 24, Zoey Beasley, Tara Beilsmith, Talia Gouard, and Colby Greene were selected as team captains for the 2022 season. For Beilsmith, the 2022 campaign marks her second straight as captain while this year is the first for Beasley, Gouard, and Greene in the leadership role. The group of four was voted captains for the season by their teammates. 
 
2022 OVC Preseason Poll
Three Redhawks were featured on the 2022 Preseason All-Ohio Valley Conference Team and for the second straight-year SEMO was selected to finish second in the preseason poll, the league announced Aug. 17. Outside hitter Zoey Beasley, libero Tara Beilsmith, and rightside hitter Colby Greene were all selected to the 2022 Preseason All-OVC Team.
 
SEMO received seven first-place votes and 145 total points for second in the predicted order of finish selected by the OVC's Head Coaches and Sports Information Directors. Morehead State, the 2021 OVC Regular-Season Champions and Tournament runners-up, was picked to win the conference receiving nine first-place votes and 153 total points. 
 
SEMO tied Morehead State and UT Martin for the league-lead in players on the preseason OVC team with three. 
 
Beasley, a senior outside hitter from Paragould, Arkansas, was named to her first career OVC preseason team Wednesday. She was third in the league offensively with 3.88 kills per set (248 kills) and fourth with 4.20 points per set (269.0 points) en route to 2021 All-OVC First Team honors. Beasley also accumulated 39 digs (0.61 digs/set) and 34 blocks (0.53 blocks/set) in league action. She was awarded OVC Offensive Player of the Week three times in 2021 and was second on the Redhawks with 436 kills (3.43 kill/set) and 475.5 points (3.74 points/set). She was also fourth on the team with 62 total blocks (0.49 blocks/set). Beasley registered double-digit kills in 25 matches and had 20 or more kills four times. She posted a career high 25 kills on a .286 hitting percentage with four digs and four blocks in SEMO's five set victory over Austin Peay on Oct. 28.
 
Beilsmith, a senior libero from Weldon Spring, Missouri, was selected to her second career OVC preseason Team Wednesday after being featured on the 2020-21 list. She ranked third in the league last season with 323 digs (5.05 digs/set) to go with 71 assists and 12 aces in 2021 OVC competitions for her second career All-OVC Second Team laurels. Beilsmith led SEMO with a career best 660 digs (5.20 digs/set) which broke her own Southeast Missouri single-season record (25-point rally scoring era from 2008 to present). She was also second on the Redhawks in 2021 with 28 service aces (0.22 service aces/set) and 126 assists (0.99 assist/set). Beilsmith compiled double-digit dig outings in all but two matches in 2021 and registered 30 plus digs twice and 20 or more digs 17 times. She posted double-digit digs in 25 consecutive matches and grabbed a career high 39 digs with five assists in SEMO's non-conference victory over Memphis of the American Athletic Conference on Sept. 10. She was awarded OVC Defensive Player of the Week four times in 2021.
 
Greene, a rightside hitter graduate student from North Liberty, Iowa, rounds out the Redhawks on the 2022 Preseason All-OVC team, earning the distinction for the second-straight year. She totaled 158 kills (2.47 kills/set) on a .226 clip in conference play a year ago and was awarded 2021 All-OVC Tournament Team honors. Greene also had 30 blocks (0.47 blocks/set) and 22 digs (0.34 digs/set) in league competitions. Overall, she was third on the Redhawks with 326 kills (2.57 kills/set) and 363.0 points on a .234 hitting percentage in 2021. Greene also totaled 68 blocks (62 assists, six solo, 0.54 blocks/set, second on the team) and 53 digs (0.42 digs/set). She finished with double-digit kills 15 times in 2021 and registered a career best 23 kills on a .283 clip with three digs and a block for 23.5 points against UT Martin on Sept. 29.
 
SEMO Schedule
SEMO, the 2021 OVC Regular-Season and Tournament Champions, will play 30 regular-season matches in 2022. SEMO will compete in four non-conference tournaments before a full 18-match OVC slate. 
 
The Redhawks will host 12 home contests this season at Houck Field House and kicked off the 2022 campaign with the SEMO Invitational Aug. 26-27.
 
SEMO opens the league calendar with a home series against Tennessee State on Sept. 23-24 with matches set for 6 p.m. and 7 p.m., respectively. 
 
The 2022 OVC Championship Tournament will be contested Nov. 17-19 at the regular-season champion.
 
2021 OVC Regular-Season and Tournament Champions 
SEMO, the 2021 OVC Regular-Season and Tournament Champions, fashioned a 26-8 overall mark this past fall including a 14-4 record during league matches. The Redhawks 26 wins in 2021 are the highest win total since the 1999 season when Southeast Missouri notched a 28-6 overall mark.
 
The Redhawks won their second OVC Tournament Championship in three seasons and seventh in program history in 2021. SEMO also won both the regular-season title and the tournament title in the same season for the first time since 2000.
 
SEMO concluded its season with an NCAA Tournament Appearance at #7 Kentucky.
 
SEMO returns a trio of All-OVC starters in senior libero Tara Beilsmith (2019 and 2021 All-OVC Second Team), senior outside hitter Zoey Beasley (2021 All-OVC First Team) and graduate student rightside hitter Colby Greene (2021 All-OVC Tournament Team).
 
Head coach Julie Yankus, the 2021 OVC Coach of the Year, will lead the Redhawks in her 12th season at SEMO in 2022. 
  
Team Makeup
SEMO's 2022 roster consists of 16 student-athletes including 10 returners from the 2021 Championship team.
 
Other top returners besides SEMO's three All-OVC starters include senior and starting middle blocker Talia Gouard, junior setter Izzy Lukens, junior outside hitters Kayla Closset and Addy McAleer, junior middle blocker Lexie Smith, and redshirt junior middle blocker Mackenzie Meehan. 
 
The 2022 team features six newcomers in a trio of transfers coupled with three freshmen. 
 
Rachel Eddy (junior defensive specialist/libero) and Taylor Beasley (junior outside hitter) joined the program during the Spring 2022 semester after transferring from Des Moines Area Community College (DMACC) and Murray State, respectively. Redshirt junior setter Kaelyn O'Brien signed with SEMO from VCU (Virginia Commonwealth University) in April. 
 
Freshmen Jenny Shook (setter), Ramiri Gardner (middle blocker/rightside hitter), and Kalia Morris (defensive specialist/libero) along with redshirt freshman rightside hitter Avery Torrey round out the 2022 team.
 
SEMO's 2022 roster also includes four, three-time OVC Champions (2019 Tournament, 2021 Regular Season and Tournament Champions) in Colby Greene, Talia Gouard, Tara Beilsmith, and Zoey Beasley.
 
Academic Excellence
SEMO was awarded the United States Marine Corps (USMC)/American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Team Academic Award for the 2021-2022 season. The Redhawks earned the honor for the 15th consecutive season and 22nd time in program history. 
 
Colby Greene, Megan Harris, and Avery Torrey all were awarded OVC Academic Medals of Honor for the 2021-22 academic year after they all registered a perfect 4.0 GPA. 
 
Kayla Closset, Caroline Draver, Talia Gouard, Colby Greene, Megan Harris, Addy McAleer, Elissa Moylan, Lexie Smith, and Avery Torreywere named to the OVC Commissioner's Honor Roll for the 2021-22 academic year, achieving at least a 3.25 GPA.
 
Looking Ahead
After their home series with Tennessee Tech, the Redhawks will travel to St. Charles, Missouri, to face Lindenwood Oct. 27-28 at Hyland Arena. Match times are 6 p.m., CT and 5 p.m., CT in the Thursday-Friday series.