MARTIN, Tenn. – Three Redhawks finished in double-digits attacking as #5-seeded Southeast Missouri women's volleyball (17-16) fell to #6 Tennessee State (19-15) in five sets (21-25, 25-16, 25-22, 22-25, 10-15) Saturday evening in the 2022 Ohio Valley Conference Championship Tournament Finals at Skyhawk Fieldhouse. 
 
Zoey Beasley, a 2022 All-OVC First Team Selection, led SEMO with 17 kills on a .256 clip with two digs. She was named to the 2022 OVC All-Tournament Team with Tara Beilsmith, the 2022 OVC Defensive Player of the Year. 
 
Beasley posted 56 kills (3.37 kills/set) on a .297 rate with eight blocks and seven digs over SEMO's three Tournament matches. 
 
Beilsmith grabbed 17 digs and five assists Saturday and finished the Tournament with 78 digs (5.20 digs/set) and 24 assists. With 17 digs Saturday, the senior libero from Weldon Spring, Missouri, became SEMO's all-time career digs (2,237) leader surpassing Molly Davis (2,223 digs from 2006-09).
 
For Beasley and Beilsmith, it marked their first career OVC All-Tournament honors. 
 
Kayla Closset (three assists, 10 digs) and Mackenzie Meehan (four blocks) each added 12 kills Saturday. For Meehan the offensive outing was a personal best. 
 
Colby Greene, a graduate student rightside hitter from North Liberty, Iowa, added nine kills, five blocks and seven digs in her final match as a Redhawk. 
 
After dropping the first set, 25-21, SEMO rallied for wins in the second (25-16) and third (25-22) stanzas Saturday. TSU then knotted the match at 2-2 after a 25-22 fourth frame to force a decisive fifth set.
 
The Tigers took the first two points before SEMO went on a 4-0 run to pull ahead 4-2 in the fifth set. 
 
Greene added a kill before a TSU error to make the lead 6-3.
 
The Tigers chipped away at the margin and tied the set at 8-8 after a kill from Kennedy Davis and a TSU block. 
 
Meehan chipped in a kill for a 9-8 lead before Ramiri Gardner added a rally stopper for a 10-10 tie. 
 
TSU then claimed the Championship, its first since 2007, on a 5-0 run (15-10).
 
Beasley had three kills on .600 clip in the final set Sunday. 

TSU took the opening set, 25-21, on a match-best .294. The Tigers had a 15-11 lead at the media stoppage before growing their edge to 19-15.
 
SEMO then went on a 4-0 run to knot the set at 19-19. A Beasley winner kept the frame tied at 20-20. 
 
The Tigers then wrapped the opening set on a 5-1 run (25-21). 
 
Beasley and Greene (.500) each had four kills in set #1. 
 
SEMO then responded with a match-high second set of .273.
 
The Redhawks went up 11-5 after a 6-0 run. Greene and Izzy Lukens combined for consecutive kills before a Tigers attack error widened the gap to 16-9. 
 
Closset added a winner before a Lukens service ace to make the score 21-13. Closset, a junior outside hitter from Naperville, Illinois, had six kills on a .357 clip in the second set. 
 
Greene and Gardner teamed up for a block followed by a pair of kills by Meehan and Beasley to knot the match at 1-1 (25-16). 
 
TSU then commenced the third set with a 5-0 lead that grew to 8-4. A 3-0 Tigers run made the scoreboard read 16-13 in favor of the visitors.
 
SEMO then tied the set at 16-16 before concluding the set on an 8-3 run (25-22).
 
Closset terminated consecutive kills before a pair of TSU errors brought on set point at 24-21. Addy McAleer then clinched the set with a winner. 
 
The Tigers opened the fourth set leading 9-3 which prompted a SEMO timeout. TSU then went ahead 18-14 and 24-17 after a pair of 3-0 runs.
 
SEMO fended off set point with five-straight points before TSU evened the match at 2-2 (25-22).
 
Gardner chipped in six kills with two blocks and a dig Saturday
 
Lukens compiled 43 assists with 16 digs, two kills, an ace and a block. 
 
McAleer posted 11 digs as four Redhawks had double-digit dig outings. 
 
TSU led aces (7-4) and blocks (20-7). 
 
Gina Rivera-Ortiz, the 2022 OVC Tournament MVP, had 23 digs and four assists. 
 
Johanna Alcantara led the TSU attack with 15 kills followed by Gabrielle Johnson (12 kills) and Kennedy Davis (nine kills).
 
Sofia Garcia-Guerrios had 35 assists with 11 digs.
 
SEMO, the 2021 OVC Tournament Champions, made its third OVC Tournament Championship Finals appearance in four seasons Saturday. 
 
The Redhawks have registered 10 or more OVC wins in each of the last four seasons and 14 or more overall wins in each of the last five seasons.
 
SEMO concludes the 2022 season with a 17-16 record and finished tied for third in the league with TSU, Morehead State and Eastern Illinois. 
 
2022 OVC Volleyball All-Tournament Team 
 
Mackenzi Sifuentes, Lindenwood
Karen Scanlon, UT Martin 
Tara Beilsmith, Southeast Missouri
Zoey Beasley, Southeast Missouri
Johanna Alcantara, Tennessee State
Kennedy Davis, Tennessee State
Gina Rivera-Ortiz, Tennessee State (MVP)