#1 Southeast Missouri (11-6) vs #5 Tennessee State (4-19)

Date: Saturday, April 20, 2024
Time: 10 a.m., CT
Location: St. Louis, Mo.
Address: 5620 Grand Dr, St. Louis, MO 63112


#1 Seeded Redhawks Start Conference Play Saturday 
Top-Seeded Southeast Missouri (11-6) begins postseason play in the 2024 Ohio Valley Conference Tournament semi-finals in St. Louis, Mo. at the Dwight Davis Tennis Center. SEMO will face #5 Tennessee State on Saturday at 10 a.m., CT. 

Redhawks OVC Tournament History
The Redhawks are looking for their third OVC tournament title in a row this weekend after winning back-to-back OVC Tournament Championships the past two seasons. The past two seasons the Redhawks have advanced to the NCAA finals with a 4-1 victory over Austin Peay in 2022 and a 4-2 win over SIUE in 2023. This is the sixth Tournament appearance for the Redhawks in the OVC tournament under Mary Beth Gunn. In those six appearances, the Redhawks have been a number one seed three times (2024, 2023, 2021), a two seed once (2022), and a five seed twice (2019, 2017). Since 2021, the Redhawks are 5-1 at the OVC tournament and 6-3 since 2016 when Coach Gunn took control of the program.

OVC Bracket
This year's OVC Tournament bracket features all seven OVC teams. The Redhawks are the number one seed for the second year in a row. SIUE earned the second seed with Southern Indiana rounding out the top-three. The first round of the tournament will be held on April, 19 and will feature #4 Lindenwood vs #5 Tennessee State (9 a.m.), #2 SIUE vs #7 Western Illinois (12 p.m.), and #3 Southern Indiana vs #6 Eastern Illinois (3 p.m., ). Semi-final action will begin on Saturday, April 20 with match one at 10 a.m. and match two at 2 p.m. The OVC Championship match will start at 12 p.m. on Sunday, April 21. 

Redhawks Take Top OVC Honors
Senior Daniela Hlacikova became the program's first ever back-to-back OVC Player of the Year after winning it last year and this year. Head Coach Mary Beth Gunn Picked up her second OVC Coach of the year honors after winning it back in 2021. Hlacikova and Juliette Talieu were named an All-OVC Doubles team. The Redhawks had Hlacikova, Talieu, Trinity Calinescu all make First-Team All-OVC and Vivian Lai was named to Second-Team All-OVC.

OVC Regular-Season Champions
Southeast Missouri won the regular season OVC title again this year, not losing a single match in conference play and ending on an eight match winning streak. SEMO went undefeated at 6-0 in league play this spring season. As a team, the Redhawks are 20-1 in doubles play and 37-5 in singles action over the last eight weeks. 

Back-to-Back OVC Titles
For the first time in program history the Redhawks are back-to-back Ohio Valley Conference Regular-Season Champions. Overall, it is Southeast Missouri's third regular-season crown (2021, 2023, 2024).

OVC Weekly Awards
Daniela Hlacikova and Juliette Talieu claimed their fourth OVC Women's Doubles Team of the Week honors this week. This season Southeast Missouri swept the weekly honors four times, won six OVC Player of the Week awards, and five OVC Doubles Team laurels in 2024. The Doubles Team of the Week honors belong to Hlacikova and Talieu (4) and Trinity Calinescu and Vivian Lai (1). The OVC Player of the Week honors belong to Talieu (2), Calinescu (2 ), Hlacikova (1), and Lera Valeeva (1).    

Undefeated at Home
Southeast Missouri went undefeated at home this year (5-0) with wins over Bradley, Arkansas State, Lindenwood, SIUE and Southern Indiana. SEMO only let their opponents score more than one point one time at the John C. Bierk Redhawks Tennis Complex this year. This is the second year in a row where  the Redhawks have gone unbeaten at home.

By the Numbers
Southeast Missouri had three players with double-digit singles wins this season, including Daniela Hlacikova (12-5), Trinity Calinescu (12-4) and Lera Valeeva (10-6). Juliette Talieu (9-2) is one win away from reaching double-digit singles victories. In doubles action, SEMO's No. 1 pair of Hlacikova and Talieu (13-1) have just one loss. Calinescu and Lai are 10-4 at No. 2 and Maja Bajorek and Valeeva are 7-5 at No. 3.