Match #25
Southeast Missouri (11-13, 6-6 OVC)           
vs. Lindenwood (7-14, 4-8 OVC)       
Match Information
Date: Thursday, Oct. 27, 2022
First Serve: 6 p.m., CT
Location: St. Charles, Mo.
Venue: Hyland Arena
All-Time Series: First Meeting in Program History
Live Stats: SIDEARM Stats
Live Video: ESPN+
 
Match #26
Southeast Missouri (11-13, 6-6 OVC)           
vs.  Lindenwood (7-14, 4-8 OVC)      
Match Information
Date: Friday, Oct. 28, 2022
First Serve: 5 p.m., CT
Location: St. Charles, Mo.
Venue: Hyland Arena
Live Stats: SIDEARM Stats
Live Video: ESPN+
 
Media Coverage
Twitter: @SEMOvb
Match Notes: Southeast Missouri (PDF)
2022 Southeast Missouri Cumulative Statistics (PDF) | 2022 Southeast Missouri OVC Statistics (PDF)
 
Redhawks Hit the Road to Face In-State Foe Lindenwood in First-Ever Series Thursday and Friday
Southeast Missouri women's volleyball (11-13, 6-6 OVC) will make the short trip to St. Charles, Missouri, this week to face for the first-time ever Ohio Valley Conference newcomer and in-state foe, Lindenwood (7-13, 4-7 OVC) Thursday and Friday at Hyland Arena. Match times are set for 5 p.m., CT and 6 p.m. for this week's Thursday-Friday series.
 
This week will mark SEMO's penultimate road series as they conclude the 2022 regular season at Morehead State Nov. 11-12. The Redhawks are currently fifth in the OVC standings while Lindenwood is eighth in their first season in the league. 
 
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-match updates all season long.
 
Scouting the Opponent
The Lions are 7-14 (4-8 OVC) in 2022 and head into this week's matchup after dropping three-straight matches. 
 
Lindenwood most recently fell to SIUE, 3-2, in midweek action on Tuesday. Taylor Gentemann led the Lions with 16 kills, four service aces and a block. Mackenzi Sifuentes added 11 kills, six blocks on a .276 clip. Abby VanBuskirk dished out 41 assists with four kills, two blocks and an ace.
 
Last week, the Lions traveled to Martin, Tennessee, where they dropped their series to conference leader UT Martin. LU lost a five setter before a 3-0 sweep. 
 
Mackenzi Sifuentes registered 20 kills and 7 blocks over the two matches against UT Martin, with 12 of those kills coming in the opener on Oct. 20. 
 
Abby Vanbuskirk now has 580 assists in 2022 with 35 of those assists coming on Oct. 21, along with five kills, three blocks and an ace. 
 
On Oct. 20, Vanbuskirk recorded 32 assists, three kills and five digs. She currently ranks third in the OVC with 508 assists and 9.06 assists per set.
 
Junior Rebecca Janke led Lindenwood in kills on Oct. 22 with 14. 
 
Series History
This will be the first-ever meeting in program history between the Redhawks and the Lions. Lindenwood became a member of the OVC and made the jump to NCAA Division I in July after previously competing at the Division II level. 

Redhawks From the St. Louis/St. Charles Area
Three members of the 2022 Southeast Missouri team are from the St. Louis/St. Charles area. Freshman middle blocker Ramiri Gardner is from St. Peters, Missouri, and went to Fort Zumwalt South High School. Senior libero Tara Beilsmith is from Weldon Spring, Missouri, and attended St. Joseph's Academy in St. Louis. Junior middle blocker Lexie Smith is from Smithton, Illinois, which is 30 minutes southeast from St. Louis and an hour from St. Charles. 

Beilsmith in 2K
With her performance on Oct. 22 against Tennessee Tech, Beilsmith surpassed 2,000 digs in her career as a Redhawk. She is the second Southeast Missouri player to register 2,000-plus career digs and now has 2,009 career digs and 545 in 2022. Beilsmith ranks second all-time in SEMO program history for digs. 
 
Nationally, Beilsmith is second for total digs this season and second with 6.06 digs per set. In 2022, Beilsmith has tallied 20 or more digs in nine of the past 11 matches. In OVC play, she leads the conference with 6.52 digs per set (287 digs).
 
Beilsmith is having an outstanding season, having achieved 20 or more digs 16 times, and finished with 30 or more digs four times. 
 
She 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). She broke her own record in 2021 after totaling 641 digs for the record as a freshman in 2019.
 
Beilsmith is also second for career digs (25-point rally scoring era, 2008 to present) in the SEMO record books behind Molly Davis (2,223 digs, 2006-09). 
 
Last Time Out
SEMO most recently fell to Little Rock in their home-and-home series finale on Oct. 18 in Little Rock, Arkansas, before dropping its home series with Tennessee Tech Oct. 21-22 at Houck Field House.
 
Zoey Beasley led the Redhawks this past week with 43 kills (3.23 kills/set) to go with 12 digs (0.92 digs/set) and 10 blocks (0.77 blocks/set). She opened the week with a match-high 17 kills on a .256 clip with four digs and three blocks in the home-and-home series finale with Little Rock. The senior from Paragould, Arkansas, competed in her home state of Arkansas for the first time as a collegiate student-athlete in the match.
 
Beasley then commenced the weekend series with Tennessee Tech, notching 16 kills, seven digs and four blocks on Oct. 21. She wrapped the series with nine kills and three blocks  on Oct. 22.
 
Tara Beilsmith led the Redhawks defensively with 66 digs (5.08 digs/set), 26 assists (2.00 assists/set) and four service aces (0.31 aces/set) this past week. Beilsmith opened the week with her first career double-double with 22 digs, a career-high 10 assists and an ace in the home-and-home series finale with Little Rock. 
 
She opened the weekend series with TTU, grabbing 19 digs and eight assists and an ace. Beilsmith then wrapped the weekend series with 25 digs, eight assists and two aces in the finale on Oct. 22.  
 
Kaelyn O'Brien notched 23 kills (1.77 kills/set), 50 assists (3.85 assists/set) and 25 digs (1.92 digs/set) with eight blocks (0.62) for the Redhawks this past week. O'Brien opened the week with her first career triple-double in the home-and-home series finale with Little Rock. She finished with 11 kills, 19 assists, three blocks, and a career-best 15 digs. O'Brien then notched 15 assists, six kills, seven digs and four blocks in the opener with Tennessee Tech. She also posted 16 assists, six kills and three digs in the finale on Oct. 22.
 
Kayla Closset posted 27 kills this past week while Colby Greene added 26. Closset also had 39 digs, finishing in double-figures defensively all three matches and posting a double-double (five in 2022) in the series finale with Tennessee Tech (Oct. 22).
 
Greene totaled 13 kills on a .480 clip in the most recent SEMO match against TTU on Oct. 22.
 
Izzy Lukens finished the weekend with 60 assists (4.62 assist/set) and 32 digs. She registered double-doubles in all three matches and now has a team-high of nine in 2022. Lukens had 21 assists at Little Rock (Oct. 18) and in the series finale with Tennessee Tech (Oct. 22).
 
Lukens is eighth in conference matches with 5.39 assists per set (237 assists).
 
With the loss to Little Rock, SEMO split the home-and-home regular-season series between the two travel partners, 1-1. 
 
Triple-Double!! 
Kaelyn O'Brien registered her first career triple-double on Oct. 18 in the home-and-home series finale 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 14th overall in the NCAA. 
 
Where We Rank
The Redhawks lead the league for digs (17.03, 1,533 total digs) and are ranked seventh in the nation in total digs (12th for digs/set), as of Oct. 23, 2022. 
 
They also lead the OVC in attacks per set (37.77 attacks/set, 3,399 total attacks) and are ranked sixth in the nation for total attacks.
 
SEMO is also second in the conference for blocks (2.26 blocks/set, 203.5 total blocks, third) and opposing hitting percentage (.184). The Redhawks are third for aces (1.40 aces/set, 126 total aces).
 
Mackenzie Meehan is second in the league with 1.19 blocks per set (68th in the NCAA, 86 total blocks, fifth in OVC). In OVC play, Meehan is averaging 1.05 blocks per set (42.0) for seventh. 
 
Zoey Beasley ranks second in the OVC with 291 total kills (3.23 kills/set, fourth) and 848 total attacks (first). She is also third in scoring with 321.0 points. Colby Greene is averaging 2.32 kills per set (16th).
 
In OVC play, Beasley is third with 3.66 kills per set (161 kills) and 3.99 points per set (175.5 total points).
 
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 opened the league calendar with a home series against Tennessee State on Sept. 23-24.
 
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 Torrey were named to the OVC Commissioner's Honor Roll for the 2021-22 academic year, achieving at least a 3.25 GPA.
 
Looking Ahead
After the Redhawks travel to St. Charles, Missouri, to take on Lindenwood, they will return to Cape Girardeau, Missouri, to host SIUE in a Friday-Saturday series Nov. 4-5. The matches will be played in Houck Field House, with the starting times at 6 p.m., CT on Friday and 2 p.m., CT on Saturday. SEMO will honor graduate student Colby Greene in the Saturday finale as part of Senior Day 2022 Festivities.