CHARLESTON, Ill.- #2 Southeast Missouri Volleyball (21-9, 12-6 OVC) rallied in a five-set thriller to down #7 Western Illinois (9-21, 8-10 OVC) in the 2023 Ohio Valley Conference Tournament Quarterfinal round on Monday night at Lantz Arena.
Senior outside hitter
Zoey Beasley finished with a season-best 22 kills on 60 total attacks, just five errors, and a .283 hitting-percentage as the Redhawks advanced to the tournament's semifinal round.
The Redhawks won the match 23-25, 25-19, 23-25, 25-19, and 15-10 as WIU and SEMO went to five-sets for the second time this season, with both matches going SEMO's way.
Three Redhawks finished in double-digits kills, including Beasley, as outside hitter
Lucy Arndt and rightside hitter
Kaelyn O'Brien finished with 17 and 11 kills, respectively.
The Freshman of the Year in the Ohio Valley Conference, Arndt finished with a double-double adding 12 digs to her final stat line and hitting .161 over 56 attacks.
The fifth and decisive stat was dominated by the Redhawks as they outhit the Leathernecks .353 to a .000-mark by WIU who had six kills and six errors on 17 total attacks. SEMO finished with just two errors and eight kills.
SEMO finished the match strong beginning with the fourth set as they took the lead on the set's first point and never relinquished it. In the fourth set, the Redhawks hit .234 to WIU's .103.
Setter
Izzy Lukens finished an impressive 54 assists, leading the Redhawks to a .227 team hitting percentage. The second team All-OVC selection had 150 total attempts and just two errors on the evening.
OVC Defensive Player of the Year
Tara Beilsmith finished with 28 digs and a perfect 1.000 reception percentage on 37 total attempts. The effort marked the 14
th time in 2023 that Tara finished with a 1.000 reception percentage.
Western Illinois was led by Keyana Cruse who finished with 24 kills on 58 attempts, for a .310 hitting-percentage.
#2 Southeast Missouri will face the winner of the final quarterfinal match between #6 Tennessee Tech and #3 Lindenwood on Tuesday, Nov. 21, in Charleston, Ill. First serve is set for 6 p.m., CT. at Lantz Arena.