KC Roos Classic
Southeast Missouri (5-3, 0-0 OVC)         
vs. Kansas City (8-1) & Saint Louis (6-3) & Austin Peay (6-4)
Match Information
Date: Friday, Sept. 15 & Saturday, Sept. 16, 2023
First Serve: 1:00 p.m. | 4:00 p.m. | 11:00 a.m.
Location: Kansas City, Mo.  
Venue: Swinney Center
All-Time Series: SEMO vs Kansas City 7-4 | vs Saint Louis 17-24 | vs Austin Peay 41-32 
Last Meetings: vs. Kansas City (L, 1-3 Sept. 8, 2018) | vs. Saint Louis (W, 3-2, 2019) | vs. Austin Peay (W, 3-0, 2021)
 
Volleyball Wraps-Up Non-Conference Schedule with KC Roos Classic Friday-Saturday
Southeast Missouri volleyball (5-3) will head to Kansas City, Mo. to compete in the KC Roos Classic on Friday, Sept. 15 through Saturday, Sept. 16 in the final non-conference matches of the 2023 season. SEMO will kick off the weekend with the host, Kansas City (8-1), at 1 p.m., CT. on Friday afternoon before turning around and facing Saint Louis (6-3) at 4 p.m. in the Swinney Center. 
 
SEMO will conclude the classic on Saturday morning when they take on long-time rival and former Ohio Valley Conference member Austin Peay (6-4). First serve is slated for 11 p.m., CT. Saturday.
 
Series History 
SEMO will face three familiar opponents over the weekend beginning first with the Roos of Kansas City. The Redhawks and Roos will meet for the 12^th time on Friday afternoon with their last meeting resulting in a 3-1 Kansas City win on Sept. 8, 2018. Kansas City was last in Cape Girardeau in 2021 but did not face the Redhawks in the SEMO Invitational. 
 
The Billikens of Saint Louis are next up for SEMO as the two have faced off 41 times prior to Friday. Friday's match will mark the 42^nd time and the first time since 2019 which resulted in a 3-2 SEMO victory. 
 
Saturday's matchup will feature the most familiar foe to the Redhawks as they take on the Governors of Austin Peay in the final match of the KC Roos Classic. Saturday's match will mark the 73^rd time that APSU & SEMO have taken the court against one another and the first since 2021. 
 
SEMO won the matchup in 2021 by a final score of 3-0. 
 
OVC Players of the Week
Earlier this week, Tara Beilsmith, Izzy Lukens, and Lucy Arndt were tabbed as defensive player, setter, and freshman of the week by the OVC for their efforts in the McNeese State Invite this past weekend. 
 
Beilsmith returned to her defensive player of the week status with her 82 digs over the three-match weekend. The graduate student from Weldon Spring, Mo. finished the weekend with an impressive 5.86 digs-per-set ratio including 33 total digs against McNeese state (W, 3-2). 
 
The libero also registered a perfect 1.000 reception rate in the match against Jackson State (9/8) to open the tournament.
 
Senior setter Izzy Lukens was tabbed as the setter of the week by the OVC after dishing out 132 assists as the Redhawks concluded the invite with a 2-1 record.
 
In the two wins, Lukens registered an 11.22 assists-per-set mark including a new career-high in assists with 54, breaking her previous career-high of 51. Lukens finished the tournament with a 9.43 assists-per-set ratio over 269 total attempts.
 
The award is Lukens' first of the season. 
 
Freshman Lucy Arndt picked up her second 'Freshman of the Week' honors from the OVC on Monday as the Freeport, Ill.-native continued her hot start to 2023. Arndt finished the tournament with 43 kills (3.07 kills-per-set) including a new season/career-high 24 kills against McNeese State. 
 
Arndt finished with 51 points over the three matches which equated to a 3.64 points-per-set mark. Of 140 attempts, Arndt only registered 15 errors and finished the weekend with a .200 hitting percentage. 
 
The award marks the second time Arndt has been selected as OVC freshman of the week this season. 
 
Last Time Out
Southeast Missouri most recently completed the McNeese State Invite last weekend in Lake Charles, La. finishing with an overall record of 2-1. The Redhawks picked up wins over McNeese State (3-2) and Sam Houston State (3-1), dropping the opening match to Jackson State, 2-3. 
 
The Redhawks fell behind early in the first match by two sets to none but fought all the way back before the Tigers took the match in the 5^th set, 15-12, to secure the victory. 
 
SEMO would bounce back in the night cap against the host McNeese State in a match that went the distance and saw the Redhawks come out on top. The fifth set played to a final tally of 19-17 after the match was on the brink of defeat for both sides. 
 
Trailing 15-14, the Redhawks turned to Kayla Closset who slammed it down one of Izzy Lukens' 54 assists in the match to keep the game going. SEMO would eventually take the set and the match in a gutsy performance. 
 
SEMO came out on fire Saturday morning against Sam Houston, the Redhawks got out to a 2-0 set lead as SHSU struggled to get anything going. The Bearkats were able to salvage a set, taking the third set, but the fourth proved to be too much as SEMO dominated the fourth set en route to their fifth win of the season. 
 
Scouting the Opponent
Kansas City
Kansas City is coming off a 3-0 victory over Eastern Michigan where they went 2-1 at the Golden Grizzlies Invitational. The Kangaroos beat Eastern Michigan, Oakland 3-1, and lost to Chicago State 1-3. 
 
Kaia Dunford led the Kangaroos in kills in their win over Eastern Michigan with 10. Dunford recorded a double-double with 17 digs. Dunford has notched a double-double in every game this season besides one. 
 
Sophomore setter Sydney Henry had 31 assists. Henry has registered 30 or more assists in every game but one this season and currently leads the Summit League in assists with 307.
 
Leah Green Kansas City's libero notched 11 digs and five assists. Green is leading the Summit League in total digs with 148 and 4.93 digs per set.
 
Carley Gillian has been a defensive machine for the Kangaroos. Against Eastern Michigan she had three blocking assists and eight kills. Gillian is ranked first in the Summit league in solo blocks with eight, blocking assists with 39, and blocks per set with 1.57.
 
Dunford is leading the team in kills with 103. In the Summit league Dunford is ranked third in kills (3.43 K/S) and third in digs with 114. 
 
Kansas City is a threat when serving the ball too. Sydney Henry is leading the Summit league in service aces with 14 and Junior Leah Green is ranked second with 12. 
 
Saint Louis
The Billikens enter the tournament with a 6-3 record and coming from a 2-1 record in the Redbird Classic tournament.
 
SLU beat Miami (Ohio) 3-0 and Illinois State 3-1 but lost to New Mexico State 1-3. The best game from SLU came against Illinois State with highs of 54 kills (.248), 12 Blocks, and 49 assists.
 
Outside hitter Emily Henken leads the Billikens in kills with 119 on a .217 hitting clip. On the defensive side Henken has chalked up six blocks and is second on the team in digs (69).
 
Senior Defensive specialist Carlie Rodgers has a team high 138 digs and 16 service aces on her 2023 resume.
 
Kate Aupperle has recorded 254 assists while adding seven service aces. The junior comes into the tournament with 57 digs and four blocks on the defensive side. 
 
The Billikens defensive front posts five players with ten or more blocks with three players having 20 or more; The seniors CeCe Fitz and Jillian Mattingly have 20 and 27, while freshman Trinity Luckett has notched 26. 
 
Austin Peay
Austin Peay enters the KC Roos Classic coming off a 0-3 loss against Western Kentucky. 
 
Mikayla Powell led the team in kills with ten. Powell also added six digs and one blocking assist. That brings Powell total kills on the season to 152 (3.90 K/S).
 
The Governors setter Kelsey Mead registered 23 assists and had nine digs and two kills. Mead has 329 assists on the year with 8.44 assists per set. 
 
Mead also leads the team in digs with 118 this season. Kalliann Cook is right behind Mead with 114 digs this season.
 
Maggie Keenan is the Governor's main blocker this season. She has a total of 13 solo blocks and 33 blocking assists this season.
 
Austin Peay is coached by Taylor Mott. Mott is in her tenth season with the Governors and has led the team to two conference titles and two NCAA tournament appearances.