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Volleyball

Volleyball Returns Home to Host Little Rock Monday Night

Match #23
Southeast Missouri (17-5, 9-2 OVC)         
vs. Little Rock (7-15, 4-7 OVC) 
Match Information
Date: Monday, Oct. 30, 2023
First Serve: 6:00 p.m. 
Location: Cape Girardeau, Mo.
Venue: Houck Field House
All-Time Series: SEMO leads Little Rock 2-1
Last Meetings: At Home | Cape Girardeau, Mo. | W, 3-0, Oct. 18, 2023
Live Stats: StatBroadcast
Live Video: ESPN+
 
Redhawks Host Little Rock on Monday Night to Continue OVC Play
Southeast Missouri volleyball (17-5, 9-2 OVC) will host a midweek Ohio Valley Conference match on Monday, Oct. 30, when they welcome in Little Rock (7-15, 4-7 OVC) for the first match of a three-match week in Cape Girardeau. First serve is slated for 6 p.m., CT. at Houck Field House. 
 
Neon Night
Monday night's will be 'Neon Night' at Houck Field House as fans are encouraged to wear neon to light up the field house. Free neon t-shirts and glowsticks will be available to fans while supplies last courtesy of Burritoville. 
 
Purchase tickets online to save on admission, here.
 
Series History
The Redhawks and Trojans will meet for just the fourth time in the programs' history as Little Rock joined the Ohio Valley Conference in 2022. SEMO leads the overall series by an overall total of 2-1. 
 
Last season the Redhawks split the season series, 1-1, as the Redhawks won in Cape Girardeau and dropped the road contest in Little Rock. 
 
Earlier this season, SEMO dominated Little Rock in Arkansas on Oct. 18. 
 
Last Time Out
Southeast Missouri is coming off a crucial weekend in conference play, splitting the season series with Eastern Illinois. 
 
The matchup featured the top-two teams in the league play as EIU picked up the win on Friday night before SEMO salvaged the series in a five-set thriller on Saturday afternoon. 
 
Friday night saw EIU win 3-1 as the Redhawks won the first set, 25-13, before dropping the next three sets 20-25, 21-25, and 14-25 snapping a five-game winning streak. 
 
The Redhawks were led offensively by freshman Lucy Arndt. Arndt finished the match with 13 kills on 40 total attacks and finished with a .300 hitting-percentage. 
 
She registered a double-double with 13 kills and 10 digs. 
 
SEMO jumped out to an early lead, dominating the first half, and out hitting the Panthers by a .393 to .059 hitting percentage in the first set. 
 
EIU finished the match with a .266 hitting-percentage to SEMO's .236. Natalie Meachem led the Panthers with 18 kills on 34 total attacks for a .412 hitting-percentage. 
 
Kayla Closset finished with a double-double for the Redhawks on Friday night. The senior from Naperville, Ill. finished with 10 kills and 15 digs. Closset also finished with 37 receptions. 
 
The Redhawks turned around on Saturday afternoon and took the match by a final score of 3-2 in thrilling fashion. 
 
SEMO won the match 26-24, 26-24, 18-25, 19-25, 15-8 in a match that lasted two hours and 50 minutes in front of a crowd of 415. 
 
Three different Redhawks finished with double-digit kills, led by Lucy Arndt with 18. Seniors Kayla Closset and Marisa Guisti finished with 16 and 12, respectively. 
 
As a team, SEMO was outhit by EIU, .256 to .269, respectively, but the Redhawks hit .526 in the fifth set to down EIU as the two leaders in the OVC split the season-series. 
 
Saturday's match featured 35 different times the score was tied and featured 19 lead changes. 
 
Libero Tara Beilsmith had a stellar day in defense for the Redhawks. Beilsmith, from Weldon Spring, Mo., finished with 32 digs and registered 15 receptions with just three errors (.833). She also dished out five assists to help SEMO pick up their ninth win in the Ohio Valley Conference. 
 
Setter Izzy Lukens continued to dish out assists left and right as the senior finished with 45. In the two-game series, Lukens finished with 87 total assists. 
 
Outside hitter Kayla Closset finished with a double-double with her 16 kills and 14 digs. Closset finished with a .229 hitting percentage.
 
 
Scouting the Opponent
Little Rock
 The Trojans come to town coming off a 3-2 win over Lindenwood on Saturday. Of their last four matches Little Rock has won three. During the Lindenwood game, the Trojans had a hitting percentage of .140 with 47 total kills.
 
Sophomore Cail Daedrianna had the most kills during the game with 14. Daedrianna also had eight solo blocks and six blocking assists. Daedrianna has the third most solo blocks in the conference with 25.
 
Little Rock's starting setter, Dariana Valencia recorded a double-double with 24 assists and 11 digs. Valencia has 325 assists (4.51 A/G) on the year and the other freshman Kaylee Smith setter has 232 assists (3.27 A/G).
 
Andrea Roman posted 25 digs and has a team high 196 digs on the season (3.70 D/S). Kaylee Smith is also second on the team in digs with 161. 
 
The Trojans top two leading hitters are Cail Daedrianna and Bella Cherry. Daedrianna has 170 kills this season with a hitting percentage of .334 and Cherry has 145 total kills this year.
 
Little Rock is third in the OVC in service aces with 146 (1.85 AVG/S). Cherry Bella has the most service aces on the team with 29.
 
The Trojans are currently sitting in ninth place in the OVC standings two games behind UT Martin who has a conference record of 6-8. 
 
Looking Ahead
SEMO volleyball will host Western Illinois later this week on Friday & Saturday, Nov. 3-4, to continue Ohio Valley Conference play. First serve is slated for 6 p.m. on both days and will feature SEMO Volleyball alumni and senior day. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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Players Mentioned

Tara Beilsmith

#10 Tara Beilsmith

Libero
5' 7"
Senior
High Performance
Kayla Closset

#13 Kayla Closset

Outside Hitter
5' 11"
Junior
Sports Performance
Izzy Lukens

#9 Izzy Lukens

Setter
5' 10"
Junior
Premier Nebraska VBC
Lucy Arndt

#2 Lucy Arndt

Outside Hitter
5' 11"
Freshman
VC United
Marisa Guisti

#5 Marisa Guisti

MB
6' 1"
Senior
UNO

Players Mentioned

Tara Beilsmith

#10 Tara Beilsmith

5' 7"
Senior
High Performance
Libero
Kayla Closset

#13 Kayla Closset

5' 11"
Junior
Sports Performance
Outside Hitter
Izzy Lukens

#9 Izzy Lukens

5' 10"
Junior
Premier Nebraska VBC
Setter
Lucy Arndt

#2 Lucy Arndt

5' 11"
Freshman
VC United
Outside Hitter
Marisa Guisti

#5 Marisa Guisti

6' 1"
Senior
UNO
MB