Match #29
Southeast Missouri (14-14, 9-7 OVC)           
at Morehead State (13-14, 9-7 OVC)      
Match Information
Date: Friday, Nov. 11, 2022
First Serve: 5 p.m., CT
Location: Morehead, Ky. 
Venue: Johnson Arena
All-Time Series: SEMO leads Morehead State 32-22, 3-0 in 2021
Last Meetings: 3-2 SEMO Win | Nov. 20, 2021 | Cape Girardeau, Mo.
3-0 SEMO Win | Nov. 13, 2021 | Cape Girardeau, Mo.
3-0 SEMO Win | Nov. 12, 2021 | Cape Girardeau, Mo
Live Stats: StatBroadcast
Live Video: ESPN+
 
Match #30
Southeast Missouri (14-14, 9-7 OVC)           
at Morehead State (13-14, 9-7 OVC)     
Match Information
Date: Saturday, Nov. 12, 2022
First Serve: 1 p.m., CT
Location: Morehead, Ky.
Venue: Johnson Arena 
Live Stats: StatBroadcast
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 Trek to Kentucky this Weekend to Face Morehead State in Final Regular-Season Series Ahead of 2022 OVC Tournament
Southeast Missouri women's volleyball (14-14, 9-7 OVC) will head to Morehead, Kentucky, this weekend to face Morehead State (13-14, 9-7 OVC) in its final regular-season series. Match times are set for 5 p.m., CT and 1 p.m., CT in the Friday-Saturday series at Johnson Arena.
 
The Redhawks are currently tied for third in the Ohio Valley Conference standings with Morehead State and Eastern Illinois entering the final week of league play.
 
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 Eagles are 13-14 (9-7 OVC) in 2022 and head into this week's matchup after dropping a pair of matches at OVC leader, UT Martin. 
 
Morehead State most recently was swept by UT Martin 3-0 in the Thursday-Friday series Nov. 3-4. 
 
In the opener, senior outside hitter Abby Hulsman led the team with 10 kills while also registering two assists, nine digs, and a block. Over the series, she finished with 17 kills, 17 digs, three assists,  and a block.
 
Setter Bridget Bessler had a double-double in the opener, with 24 assists and 14 digs. She also added two kills and a block. In the finale, she finished with a team high 27 assists, while also adding in six digs, two kills, and three aces. 
 
Kinsey McAfee had a team high 11 kills on Nov. 3 and hit a career-best .625. 
 
Series History
SEMO leads the all-time series with Morehead State, 32-22. SEMO faced the Eagles three times last year including sweeping both matches during the regular-season to claim a share of the 2021 OVC Regular-Season title and the right to host the 2021 OVC Tournament. 
 
SEMO most recently overcame Morehead State, 3-2, to secure the 2021 Ohio Valley Conference Tournament Championship on Nov. 20, 2021. Laney Malloy led the Redhawks with 21 kills and 16 digs. Zoey Beasley added 18 and five blocks. Colby Greene notched 11 kills with three digs and two blocks. Claire Ochs dished out 45 assists and 19 digs with five kills
 
SEMO has won the last five meetings between the two institutions. The Redhawks last beat the Eagles in Morehead, Kentucky, 3-2 on Oct. 11, 2014. 
 
Beilsmith Named OVC Defensive Player of the Week
Senior libero Tara Beilsmith was named the Ohio Valley Conference Defensive Player of the Week, the league announced Monday. For Beilsmith, it was her league-leading seventh OVC Defensive Player of the Week award out of 11 weeks this season.
 
Beilsmith led the Redhawks defensively with 56 digs this past week as SEMO swept its home series with SIUE (Nov. 4-5). Beilsmith averaged 7.00 digs per set over the two matches. 
 
She opened the weekend series with her third career double-double of 24 digs and 10 assists on Nov. 4.
 
Beilsmith then scooped up 32 digs for her fifth 30-plus dig match of the season, in the series finale on Nov. 5. She also added seven assists and an ace in the match with SIUE. 
 
With 56 digs this past weekend, Beilsmith, a Weldon Spring, Missouri, native, has now registered her third career 600-plus dig season (648) as a Redhawk. 

Beilsmith previously surpassed 2,000 digs in her career as a Redhawk on Oct. 22 against Tennessee Tech.
 
She leads the OVC in digs with 390 (6.29 dig/set) in league matches this season. Nationally, Beilsmith ranks second for digs with 648 (6.00 digs/set) in 2022. 

For Beilsmith, the OVC honor is her 13th career weekly laurel and 12th career Defensive Player of the Week. 
 
Last Time Out
SEMO most recently swept its series against SIUE at home Nov. 4-5. SEMO won both matches by scores of 3-1 in the Friday-Saturday series played at Houck Field House. 
 
Zoey Beasley led the Redhawks this past week with 33 kills (4.13 kills/set) to go with nine digs (1.13 digs/set) and two blocks. She opened the series with 16 kills, six digs and a block before concluding the weekend series with SIUE, with a match high 17 kills and three digs and an ace with a .310 hitting percentage on Nov. 5. 
   
Kayla Closset registered a pair of double-doubles while hitting .354. She totaled 30 kills (3.75 kills/set) with 23 digs (2.88 digs/set) and 33.5 points (4.19 points/set) over the two matches. Closset opened SEMO's final regular-season home series with a double-double outing of 15 kills, 13 digs and two blocks on a .387 hitting percentage. She followed that up with a double-double of 15 kills and 10 digs on a .324 with four assists and three blocks in the series finale on Nov. 5. Closset has totaled double-digit kills in four of the last five matches. She has also finished with double-digit digs in six of the last seven matches.
 
Colby Greene added 24 kills in the SIUE series (3.00 kills/set). Greene opened the series with 10 kills and a career-best matching six blocks and four digs. Greene then wrapped the series posting 14 kills, six digs, and three blocks. Over the weekend series, Greene accumulated 28.5 points (3.56 points/set), 10 digs, and nine blocks while being recognized for her career at SEMO on Senior Day Nov. 5. 
 
Izzy Lukens passed out 50 assists (6.25 assists/set) and 27 digs (3.38 digs/set). Lukens registered a pair of double-doubles, opening the weekend with 25 assists and 13 digs Nov. 4. She then posted 25 assists with 14 digs to go with a kill as SEMO hit .253 as a team in the series finale on Nov. 5. Lukens has totaled 20 or more assists in each of the past five matches and has registered a double-double in each of the last eight matches. She leads the Redhawks with 13 double-doubles in 2022.
 
Jenny Shook notched 31 assists (4.43 assists/set) and 20 digs (2.86 digs/set). Shook posted 12 assists and three digs including seven assists in set #3 of the opener on Nov. 4. The freshman setter from Plainfield, Illinois, then totaled her first career double-double with a personal-best 19 assists and 17 digs in the finale on Nov. 5. Shook has finished in double-digits for assists in each of the last three matches. 
 
Addy McAleer registered 10 digs in the opener on Nov. 4.
 
Mackenzie Meehan finished with six kills and a career-best nine blocks in the opener on Nov.4 and finished the series with 16.0 blocks (2.00 blocks/set) with 10 kills and six digs. 
 
Where We Rank
The Redhawks lead the league for digs (17.26, 1,864 total digs) and are ranked third in the nation in total digs (11th for digs/set).
 
They also lead the OVC in attacks per set (37.84 attacks/set, 4,087 total attacks) and are ranked third in the nation for total attacks (seventh in the NCAA for attacks per set). 
 
SEMO is also third in the conference for blocks (2.23 blocks/set, 240.5 total blocks, third) and second in opposing hitting percentage (.185). The Redhawks are fourth for aces (1.35 aces/set, 146 total aces, fifth).
 
Mackenzie Meehan is first in the league with 1.20 blocks per set (64th in the NCAA, 108 total blocks, fifth in OVC). In OVC play, Meehan is averaging 1.10 blocks per set (64.0 blocks/set) for seventh. 
 
Zoey Beasley ranks second in the OVC with 352 total kills (3.26 kills/set, fifth) and 1,021 total attacks (second). She is also third in scoring with 388.5 points. Colby Greene is averaging 2.40 kills per set (13th).
 
In OVC play, Beasley is fourth with 3.58 kills per set (222 kills) and 3.92 points per set (243.0 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 werenamed 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 Kentucky to take on Morehead State, they will next compete in the 2022 OVC Championship Tournament Nov. 17-19 on the campus of the top seed and 2022 OVC Regular Season Champion. SEMO is the reigning OVC Regular Season and Tournament Champions and have won two Tournament Championships over the past three seasons. SEMO will find out its seed at the conclusion of this road weekend series.