BRENTWOOD, Tenn. – Southeast Missouri volleyball was selected to finish first in the 2023 Ohio Valley Conference predicted order of finish, the league announced Wednesday morning.
The league's head coaches and SIDs gave the Redhawks six first place votes, tying them with Tennessee Tech for the league lead.
The Redhawks return nearly every player from 2022 to the 2023 season, after the team made it to the Ohio Valley Conference tournament championship game a season ago.
Graduate students
Tara Beilsmith and
Zoey Beasley landed on the 2023 All-OVC Preseason team as the two-lone Redhawks on the list.
A season ago, Beilsmith led the nation and the OVC with 773 total digs for the Redhawks winning OVC defensive player of the week seven times. She ranked third in the nation and first in the conference in digs per set at a 5.90 clip. Her 773 digs rank her first overall for the category in the SEMO program.
She was also selected to the 2022 All-OVC first team and was the defensive player of the year in the conference.
Zoey Beasley was selected to the 2022 All-OVC first team a season ago after leading the Redhawks in kills (second in the conference) with 439. The 439-mark ranked third all-time on the SEMO single season kills list as she moved into fifth place on the all-time kills list.
During the OVC tournament, Beasley notched 56 kills for a 3.73 kills-per-set mark while adding eight blocks. Beasley also earned postseason awards, landing herself on the 2022 first team All-OVC.
The Redhawks will open up their season with the SEMO Invitational at Houck Field House on Friday, August 25, at 11 a.m., CT. when they host Evansville.
2023 Volleyball Preseason All-OVC Team
Zoey Beasley, Southeast Missouri
Tara Beilsmith, Southeast Missouri
Kaitlyn Flynn, Eastern Illinois
Maddie Isringhausen, Tennessee Tech
Jordan Karlen, Tennessee Tech
Giovana Larregui Lopez, Eastern Illinois
Irene Wogenstahl, Morehead State
Kennedy Davis, Tennessee State
Sydney Wyman, Morehead State
Christina Martinez Mundo, Eastern Illinois
Skylar Boom, Tennessee Tech
Daedrianna Cail, Little Rock
Leah Anderson, Southern Indiana
Sydney Hummert, SIUE
2023 OVC Volleyball Preseason Predicted Order of Finish
T1. Southeast Missouri (6 first-place votes) – 168
T1. Tennessee Tech (6) – 168
3. UT Martin (6) – 164
4. Eastern Illinois (2) – 156
5. Morehead State – 134
6. Tennessee State (2) – 126
7. Lindenwood – 80
8. SIUE – 78
9. Little Rock – 58
10. Western Illinois – 40
11. Southern Indiana - 24
