Match 1 - vs. Belmont
Date: Friday, January 26, 2024
Time: 2 p.m., CT
Location: Paducah, Ken.
Series: Belmont leads, 8-7

Match 2 - vs. Murray State
Date: Saturday, January 27, 2024
Time: 2 p.m., CT
Location: Paducah, Ken.
Series: Murray State leads, 26-5

Redhawks Open Spring Season in Paducah
The defending back to back Ohio Valley Conference champion Southeast Missouri women's tennis team opens its spring season with two matches in Paducah, Kentucky this weekend. SEMO faces former OVC schools Belmont (Jan. 26) and Murray State (Jan. 27). Start time for both contests is 2 p.m., CT at McCracken County High School's indoor tennis facility.

About Belmont
Belmont is 1-0 thus far with a 4-3 win over UAB. The Bruins are led by Mariia Hlahola who was named Missouri Valley Conference Co-Freshman of the Year in 2023. Hlahola, who also earned All-MVC accolades, won her first singles match of the season, 6-0, 6-1. Vesa Gjinaj and Viktoria Kliimand joined Hlahola in the win column during their opening singles bouts. BU was picked third in this year's MVC Preseason Poll.

About Murray State
Murray State, like SEMO begins its season this weekend. MSU is tied with Belmont for third in the MVC's Preseason Poll. Senior Sarah Bureau represented the Racers on the 2023 All-MVC Team.

Series History
Belmont holds a slight 8-7 edge in its all-time series against the Redhawks. Meanwhile, Murray State owns a 26-5 advantage against Southeast Missouri. SEMO beat both teams by identical scores of 4-3 last season. 

Fall Recap
Southeast Missouri competed in its own Redhawks Invitational and played at the Austin Peay, ITA Regional and Tennessee State tournaments this past fall. SEMO put together an overall singles record of 54-23 and went 19-13 in doubles action during fall play. Trinity Calinescu and Vivian Lai each paced the Redhawks with nine singles victories.

Redhawks Picked to Win OVC in 2024
The Redhawks are the Ohio Valley Conference preseason favorite entering the 2024 campaign. Southeast Missouri received 35 points and five first-place votes in the overall voting. SIU Edwardsville, Eastern Illinois, Tennessee State, first-year OVC member Western Illinois, Lindenwood and Southern Indiana completed the poll. Daniela Hlacikova (No. 1), Vivian Lai (No. 4), Trinity Calinescu (No. 7) and Juliette Talieu (No. 9) are ranked among the league's top 10 players ahead of the spring.

2023 Review
For the second-straight year, Southeast Missouri won the OVC Tournament title and advanced to the NCAA Tournament. SEMO swept the league's regular-season and tournament crowns for first time in program history. The Redhawks simply dominated throughout their spring campaign putting together an overall record of 17-3 and undefeated 5-0 mark in OVC action. SEMO had eight shutout victories with three of those coming against conference foes. The Redhawks tied a single-season program record in victories and put together a program record 16-match winning streak. SEMO had its most All-OVC honorees in a season ever. Daniela Hlacikova was named OVC Player of the Year and earned first-team accolades. Romana Tarajova and Ksenia Shikanova joined Hlacikova as first- team selections, while Vivian Lai and Teona Velkoska picked up second-team laurels. The Redhawks faced #15 Tennessee in the first round of the NCAA Women's Tennis Championship on May 5 in Knoxville, Tennessee. It was the second-straight year where SEMO played a #15 seed in the NCAA Tournament. The 2023 season was the best since SEMO's women's tennis program began in 1991-92.