Match #26 & 27
Southeast Missouri (20-5, 12-2 OVC)         
vs. Tennessee Tech (11-16, 7-9 OVC) 
Match Information
Date: Friday, Nov. 10 & Saturday, Nov. 11, 2023
First Serve: 6:00 p.m. | 7:00 p.m.
Location: Cookeville, Tenn.
Venue: Eblen Center
All-Time Series: SEMO leads Tennessee Tech 43-16
Last Meetings: At Home | Cape Girardeau, Mo. | L, 1-3, Oct. 22, 2022
Live Stats: StatBroadcast
Live Video: ESPN+
 
Redhawks Hit the Road to Take on Tennessee Tech in Final Road Stretch of 2023
Southeast Missouri volleyball (20-5, 12-2 OVC) will take its final road trip of 2023 to Cookeville, Tenn. to take on Tennessee Tech (11-16, 7-9 OVC) in a matchup of long-time foes on Friday & Saturday, Nov. 10-11. First serve is slated for 6 p.m. Friday and 7 p.m. Saturday at the Eblen Center. 
 
Series History
Two of the longest tenured teams in the Ohio Valley Conference, the Redhawks and Golden Eagles will meet for the 60^th & 61^st time on Friday and Saturday night. The Redhawks hold a 43-16 series lead over TTU but are currently on a two-game losing streak in the series. Tech swept the regular season matchup(s) with SEMO a season ago, in Cape Girardeau. 
 
OVC Awards
Southeast Missouri volleyball swept the Ohio Valley Conference Weekly Honors list as Lucy Arndt, Tara Beilsmith, and Izzy Lukens were all selected for Player of the Week, the league announced Monday afternoon. 
 
Lucy Arndt won offensive player and freshman of the week after SEMO's three-match week last week. Arndt set a new season & career-high in kills against Western Illinois on Friday night. Lucy registered 34 kills in a five-set thriller as SEMO won 3-2 over the Leathernecks. 
 
The freshman from Freeport, Ill. rattled off 66 kills, with just 22 errors, on 160 total attempts for a .275 hitting-percentage over the three matches. She averaged 5.50 kills-per-set and accumulated 73 points (6.08 points-per-set).
 
Libero Tara Beilsmith won Defensvie Player of the Week for her efforts against Little Rock and Western Illinois. Beilsmith finished the week with 104 digs over 12 sets for an 8.67 dig-per-set ratio. 
 
In addition to the award, Beilsmith's effort moved her to fourth all-time in the NCAA's history for career digs. She now sits at 2,832 digs for her career after finishing Friday & Saturday with a 39 digs and a 48 digs performance, respectively. 
 
Senior Izzy Lukens won OVC Setter of the Week leading SEMO to a .255 hitting-percentage over the week. 
 
Lukens dished out a new season and career-high 69 assists on Friday night's win against Western Illinois on her way to 159 total assists for the week. 
 
The setter turned around on Saturday night and dished out 56 more assists as SEMO completed the season sweep of WIU. 
 
She finished the week with 11 kills and 23 digs as well. 
 
The trio has racked up 16 weekly honors so far in 2023. This week's awards mark the seventh for Lucy Arndt, the fourth for Tara Beilsmith, and the fifth for Izzy Lukens.
 
Last Time Out
Volleyball was last in action on Nov. 3-4 against Western Illinois in a matchup that tested the Redhawks, but ultimately saw SEMO winning both matches, 3-2 & 3-1, respectively, to pick up their 11^th and 12^th wins in conference play. 
 
Friday's match featured a five-set thriller that saw the Leathernecks and Redhawks go the distance as SEMO won the match 26-24, 21-25, 25-17, 25-22, 15-11 led by freshman Lucy Arndt's career-high 34 kills. 
 
Three Redhawks finished in double-digit kills including Arndt, Marisa Guisti, and Zoey Beasley. Guisti finished the night with 20 kills on 49 attempts for a .367 hitting-percentage. Beasley, the outside hitter from Paragould, Ark., finished with a season-high 17 kills and a .208 hitting-percentage. 
 
Senior setter Izzy Lukens set a new career-high in assists after dishing out 69 Friday night, leading SEMO to an overall team hitting percentage of .264. 
 
Lukens set her new personal-best by clearing her season-high of 52 by 17 as the Redhawks hit .241, .244, .486, .125, and .385 over the duration of the five sets, respectively. 
 
Tara Beilsmith was all over the court defensively for the Redhawks finishing with 39 digs and a perfect 1.000 reception percentage over 46 attempts. 
 
Trailing 5-2 early in the fifth set, Lucy Arndt slammed a cross-court shot that was ruled out. A SEMO challenge reversed the call to make it 5-3, instead of 6-2. 
 
The Redhawks would use the momentum from the challenge into the rest of the set as SEMO finished with a .385 hitting-percentage in the fifth set alone. 
 
Saturday's contest saw SEMO win in four sets to complete the first ever OVC matchup with Western Illinois by a 25-22, 20-25, 25-22, 25-14 margin on senior day. 
 
Libero Tara Beilsmith continued to break records as during Saturday's match she became fourth all-time in NCAA Volleyball history in career digs, surpassing the previous fourth place 2,791 record. 
 
Tara now has 2,832 digs for her career after finishing Saturday's match with 48 digs and a .944 reception-percentage, committing just one error on 17 attempts. 
 
Saturday's match marked senior day for nine Redhawks seniors as Talia Gouard, Tara Beilsmith, Mackenzie Meehan, Rachel Eddy, Izzy Lukens, Marisa Guisti, Zoey & Taylor Beasley, and Lexie Smith were all honored in a pre-match ceremony. 
 
Freshman Lucy Arndt finished with a double-double. The standout, Freeport, Ill.-native finished with 19 kills and 15 digs from her outside hitter position. She finished the match with 20.0 points on Saturay. 
 
Izzy Lukens finished with another stellar performance, dishing out 56 assists on 140 attempts (.400). The senior from Omaha, Neb. Finished the weekend with a total of 125 assists over nine sets. SEMO, as a team, hit .238. 
 
Seniors Zoey Beasley and Marisa Guisti each finished in double-digits for kills with 14 and 13, respectively. 
 
Beasley had her 14 kills on 43 attempt for a .163 hitting-percentage (seven errors) as Guisti finished with her 13 kills on 25 attempts for a staggering .520 hitting clip. 
 
Third in the Ohio Valley Conference in service aces coming into the weekend, freshman Nina Schuberth finished the match with a pair of aces to lead the Redhawks in the category. 
 
Senior Lexie Smith entered the match in the fourth set recording two kills, including the decisive one as SEMO dominated the fourth set to win the match. Smith finished with two kills on three attempts on senior day.  
 
Scouting The Opponent
Tennessee Tech
The Golden Eagles are coming off a 3-1 victory over Morehead State on Tuesday night. Tennessee Tech had 54 total kills with a 0.148 attacking percentage. The Golden Eagles are now winners of five straight.
 
Against Morehead State, freshman Ava Schubert recorded the most kills with 18 on the night. Schubert now has 267 kills this season which is second most on the team.
 
The Golden Eagles had two people record double-doubles. Starting setter, Jordan Karlen had 41 assists and 22 digs while outside hitter, Madolyn Isringhausen had 15 kills and 13 digs.
 
Jordan Karlen has four double-doubles in the last five games and has recorded 50 or more assists in four of the last five games. Karlen currently has the second most assists in the OVC with 953 (9.82 A/S).
 
Madolyn Isringhausen has registered double doubles in the last five matches and is the OVC leader in kills with 373 (3.49 K/S). Isringhausen also has 265 digs, nine solo blocks, and 30 blocking assists this season. 
 
Defensively, Mckenna Young is leading the Golden Eagles in digs with 383 and middle blocker Skylar Boom is the OVC leader in solo blocks with 33. Boom has 108 total blocks this season which is the third best in the conference. 
 
Tennessee Tech is currently in fifth place in the OVC standings with a 7-9 conference record right behind Morehead State with a 9-7 conference record. 
 
Looking Ahead
SEMO Volleyball will conclude the 2023 regular season next Wednesday & Thursday, Nov. 15-16, when they host Lindenwood in Cape Girardeau, Mo. First serve is set for 6 p.m. on each day inside Houck Field House.