Redhawks Split Opening Day of 2022 SEMO Invitational Friday - Southeast Missouri State University Athletics

Friday, August 26

Cape Girardeau, Mo.

12:30 p.m.

Southeast Missouri State University

1-0,0-0OVC

Arkansas - Pine Bluff

0-1,0-0SWAC

Team	1	2	3	Final F
Ark.-Pine Bluff	12	19	15	0
Southeast Mo. St.	25	25	25	3

Tournament Information Final Statistics

Team	1	2	3	4	5	Final F
North Dakota St.	17	25	25	21	15	3
Southeast Mo. St.	25	19	21	25	10	2

Photo by: Jan Salmon

8/26/2022 3:32:00 PM | Volleyball, Volleyball, Volleyball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2 Final Statistics (UAPB)Final Statistics (NDSU)2022 SEMO Invitational Tournament Page Highlights

CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. – Southeast Missouri women's volleyball (1-1) split its opening day of the 2022 SEMO Invitational Friday at Houck Field House. SEMO swept Arkansas-Pine Bluff (0-2), 25-12, 25-19, 25-15, in the early afternoon before falling in five sets (25-17, 19-25, 21-25, 25-21, 10-15) to North Dakota State (2-0) in the night cap.

Southeast Missouri 3, Arkansas-Pine Bluff 0 (25-12, 25-19, 25-15)

SEMO opened its 2022 campaign with a sweep of Arkansas-Pine Bluff (0-2), 25-12, 25-19, 25-15, Friday afternoon at Houck Field House.

Lexie Smith led the Redhawks with a career best nine kills on a .615 in her first career start. Colby Greene added eight kills (.333).

The Redhawks jumped out to an early 6-0 in the first set after four service aces from starting setter Izzy Lukens.

Lukens, a junior from Omaha, Nebraska, finished with a career high five aces to go along with 20 assists and five digs in her first career start.

Zoey Beasley and Mackenzie Meehan combined for a block assist to push the SEMO edge to 10-5.

Kayla Closset and Greene added consecutive kills followed by a service ace by Tara Beilsmith to make the lead 16-9.

SEMO then utilized a 5-0 rally to go up 21-10.

Avery Torrey slammed a kill to double the Redhawks lead (22-11) in her SEMO debut and first career start. Torrey, a redshirt freshman from Sherwood, Wisconsin, finished with three kills, a block, and a dig.

Torrey then teamed up with Meehan for a block assist to claim the set at 25-12.

The Redhawks opened the match with a .290 hitting line.

In the second stanza, Arkansas-Pine Bluff opened with a 6-2 lead.

The Redhawks chipped the deficit to one (5-6, 7-8, 8-9, 9-10) before evening the set at 11-11 on a Closset service ace.

Closset notched five kills with 11 digs to go with her ace.

SEMO then finally pulled ahead with a 7-0 run, 19-15.

Greene posted a kill bookended by a pair of Lions errors to bring on set point, 24-18.

Smith then grabbed the stanza, 25-18, on a rally stopper.

The Redhawks then commenced the third set on a 6-2 advantage that increased to 11-6.

SEMO widened its margin to 10 (18-8) after a 6-0 run. Smith posted a pair of kills during the sequence along with kills by Closset and Kaelyn O'Brien.

O'Brien then added a setter kill from libero Tara Beilsmith followed by a rally stopper by freshman Ramiri Gardner to make it match point at 24-14.

Gardner, a St. Peters, Missouri, native, made her SEMO debut in the final set Friday.

Smith then secured the victory, 25-15, on a kill. She and O'Brien both had four kills in the third frame.

The Redhawks hit a match-high .324 in the final set to wrap the contest with a .257 clip.

Beasley, a 2022 Preseason All-Ohio Valley Conference selection, finished with five kills and six digs.

Meehan had a team high six blocks and five kills.

O'Brien, a redshirt junior transfer from Virginia Commonwealth (VCU), posted 12 assists and six digs with four kills in her Redhawks debut.

Beilsmith, a 2022 Preseason All-OVC pick, led the defense with 14 digs and five assists. Addy McAleer grabbed seven digs.

Zykia Jones paced APB with nine kills and three digs. Breana August notched 13 digs. The Lions finished with a team hitting percentage of .083.

The Redhawks take on North Dakota State tonight at 7 p.m., CT to conclude Friday, the opening day of the 2022 SEMO Invitational.

North Dakota State 3, Southeast Missouri 2 (25-17, 19-25, 21-25, 25-21, 10-15)

Three Redhawks registered double-double performances in the night cap as SEMO fell to North Dakota State in five sets (25-17, 19-25, 21-25, 25-21, 10-15) to conclude Day 1 of the 2022 SEMO Invitational.

Five SEMO players finished in double-figures for digs.

Beasley paced the SEMO offense with 20 kills and eight digs on a .340 hitting clip.

Greene chipped in 14 kills (.273) with 10 digs and Closset posted 12 kills and 14 digs, for their first career double-doubles.

Lukens also notched her first double-double, divvying out a personal best 27 assists and 13 digs as SEMO hit at a rate of .227. O'Brien added a career high 23 assists with six digs.

Beilsmith paced the defense with 27 digs (season high) and seven assists. McAleer added 12 digs.

Smith and Meehan finished with eight and seven kills, respectively, while Torrey had a personal best five.

SEMO outblocked the Bison, 11-8, as Meehan tallied seven followed by Torrey (six) and Smith (five).

SEMO grabbed the opening set, 25-17, starting with a 5-2 lead that increased to 19-10 after a 6-0 run.

The Redhawks hit a match-high .357 in the first set. Beasley notched seven kills on a .778 to start the contest with the Bison.

North Dakota State then took the second and third frames, 25-19, 25-21, to take a 2-1 advantage.

SEMO answered with a 25-21 fourth stanza to force the decisive fifth and final set.

Trailing 10-8, the Redhawks knotted the set at 13-13 after consecutive kills by Meehan and Closset.

SEMO then distanced itself a bit from the Bison with a pair of kills after a NDSU attack error, 18-16.

Torrey then knocked a kill before joining Meehan on a pair of block assists for a 21-17 advantage.

Meehan added another kill for set point (24-20) before a NDSU error concluded the frame in SEMO's favor, 25-21.

In the fifth and final set, the Bison jumped out to a 10-2 lead that the Redhawks whittled down to 12-8 after a 6-2 rally.

Syra Tanchin knocked a kill before a block assist by Michelle Glover and Morgan Middleton brought on match point at 14-8.

Meehan posted a kill before registering a block assist with Greene to fend off match point twice (14-10) before NDSU secured the match with a kill.

SEMO wraps up the two-day tournament with a 2 p.m., CT meeting with Jackson State on Saturday. North Dakota State faces Arkansas-Pine Bluff to open the second day of the SEMO Invitational at 11 a.m.