JONESBORO, Ark. – Southeast Missouri Volleyball (0-2) dropped the first two matches of the A-State Invitational on Friday afternoon to the host, Arkansas State, and Saint Louis. The Redhawks fell 3-0 and 3-1, respectively, in the matches.
Junior transfer
Alandry Below finished the day with a team-best 27 assists over the two matches.
Seven Redhawks, including Below, made their SEMO debut over the two matches.
Arkansas State
The Redhawks dropped the first match of the afternoon in three sets as the Red Wolves won 25-20, 25-11, 25-14 in the first game of the A-State Invitational.
As a team, SEMO was led in kills by freshman
Marin Johnson and
Ramiri Gardner with four kills apiece. The Redhawks totaled 19 kills as a team, with 16 errors, on 83 total attacks for a .036 hitting-percentage.
Lexi Morse,
Abby Johnson,
Kennedey Johnson,
Mackenzie Tucker,
Holland Guilliams,
Megan Holder,
Alandry Below,
Abbey Richman,
Alaina Lester, and
Marin Johnson recorded their first action in a SEMO uniform in Friday's first match.
Redshirt junior
Avery Torrey recorded a team-high two blocks to lead the defense as Morse and Gardner each chipped in a block apiece.
Arkansas State was led by Haley Glunz who finished with nine kills on 13 total attacks for a .615 hitting-percentage as six Red Wolves finished with five kills or more.
ASU out hit SEMO .364 to .036, respectively on five more attacks.
A back-and-forth first set saw the Redhawks and Red Wolves tied at 18 all late in the first set. Trailing 20-18, a kill by Torrey cut the deficit to just a point before the Red Wolves put together a 4-1 run to get to set point. ASU took the first set 25-20.
The final two sets were all ASU as the Red Wolves secured the 3-0 victory.
Saint Louis
SEMO dropped the second game of the day, 3-1, against the Bilikens on Friday evening.
SEMO took the first set from the Bilikins 26-24, then dropped three sets in a row, 23-25, 22-25, 16-25.
The Redhawks hit at a higher percentage, .140 compared to SLU's .109 but the Bilikens recorded 53 kills to SEMO's 39.
Offensively
Lucy Arndt,
Abby Johnson, and
Ramiri Gardner all notched double-digit kills for the Redhawks with 12 (.133), 11 (.176), and 10 (.526, respectively). Johnson and Gardner both recorded four blocks a piece as well.
The freshman duo of
Marin Johnson and
Alaina Lester finished with a team-high three solo blocks.
SLU jumped out to an early 4 - 0 lead and the Redhawks couldn't dig out of the hole. SEMO got within two at the 6 - 8 mark but SLU would go on to score seven of the next ten points.
The Redhawks out blocked SLU 14 - 6 but the Billikens won the setting battle notching 53 assists compared to 39.
Junior
Alandry Below dished out 19 assists to lead the Redhawks while Abby Lynn chalked up 39 assists for SLU.
Looking Ahead
SEMO Volleyball will conclude the A-State Invitational on Saturday, August 31, when they take on Mississippi. First serve Is slated for 11 a.m. in Jonesboro, Ark.
