Match #20 & #21
Southeast Missouri (12-7, 4-2 OVC) at Eastern Illinois (9-6, 3-2 OVC)
 
Match Information: 
Dates: Friday, October 17 – Saturday, October 18
Times: 6 p.m. & 4 p.m. 
Location: Charleston, Illinois. 
Venue: Gardella Family Court
Series:  SEMO leads 47-25
 
Head Coaches: 
SEMO: Julie Yankus (240-214, 146-104 OVC | 15^th Season)
EIU: Ryan Millar (9-6, 3-2 OVC | First Season) 
 
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X: @SEMOvb
Live Stats: Match 1 (Fri.) | Match 2 (Sat.)
Watch: ESPN+ | ESPN+ (Sat.)
 
Match Notes (PDF)
Media Guide (PDF)
 
Redhawks Resume OVC Play Friday & Saturday at Eastern Illinois
Southeast Missouri Volleyball (12-7, 4-2 OVC) will return to Ohio Valley Conference play this weekend as they trek to Eastern Illinois (9-6, 3-2 OVC) for a pair of matches on Friday and Saturday, Oct. 17-18. First serve is slated for 6 p.m. and 4 p.m., respectively, from the Gardella Family Court in Charleston, Illinois. 
 
Series History
Panthers
Two of the longest tenured programs in the Ohio Valley Conference, the Redhawks & Panthers will meet for the 73^rd & 74^th times this weekend. Overall, SEMO holds a 47-25 record against EIU and most recently swept the regular season meetings in Cape Girardeau with a pair of 3-0 victories in 2024. The two teams have been very even over the last 10 meetings between them with a 6-4 SEMO advantage. 
 
Rivalry Victory
The Redhawks were in action on Tuesday evening in non-conference action as they hosted local rival Southern Illinois at Houck Field House. SEMO cruised to a four-set victory, downing the Salukis by a final score of 3-1. Freshman Reagan Nelson recorded a career-high 19 kills and 17 digs for her second-straight double-double this season. Lucy Arndt flourished with 12 kills and 13 digs, including a .345 hitting-percentage. SEMO Volleyball snapped a three-game skid to the Salukis on Tuesday night for the 12^th victory of the season. 
 
Major Impact
Freshman outside hitter Reagan Nelson has burst onto the scene offensively over the last two matches, finishing with double-digit kills in two-straight matches. Against SIU, Nelson recorded a career-high 19 kills on a career-high 41 total attacks. She hit .293 against SIU, recording just seven errors. She also recorded 17 digs marking her second-straight double-double. She is averaging 17 kills over the last two matches and a .349 hitting-percentage. 
 
Team Offense
19 matches in, the Redhawks offense has been clicking with a hitting-percentage of .221 overall. That number ranks them second in the OVC in team hitting-percentage behind only Morehead State (.241). SEMO has recorded 963 kills on 2820 total attacks and are averaging 12.51 kills-per-set. 
 
Team Assists
The Redhawks rank in the top five of the OVC in assists. Setters Megan Holder and Ellie Burns have assumed the roles for the Redhawks, dishing out 513 of SEMO's 902 total assists. SEMO ranks number five in the league in assists and have played 22 more sets than the top team in the league (MSU). Holder leads the Redhawks with 401 total assists this season which ranks her ninth in the league. 
 
Team Digs
As a team, SEMO has done a great job of keeping their opponents' offense in check. The Redhawks have accumulated 1262 total digs which ranks them fourth in the OVC. They are averaging 16.39 digs-per-set, led by OVC 'Defensive Player of the Week' libero Nina Schuberth with 303 total digs. That number ranks her seventh in the league as she averages 3.94 digs-per-set. 
 
Nothing Easy
Going off the team digs, SEMO has allowed the third lowest hitting-percentage to their opponents in the OVC holding their opponents to just a .199 team hitting-percentage. In 77 sets, the Redhawks have only allowed 992 kills to their opponents and have forced 424 errors. SEMO ranks sixth in the league in team blocks, totaling 147.0 in 19 matches this season. 
 
Schuberth Shines
Junior libero Nina Schuberth was selected as this week's Ohio Valley Conference 'Defensive Player of the Week', the league announced on Monday afternoon. Schuberth played in all 10 sets against Southern Indiana and finished with 50 digs over the two matches. In Friday's 3-2 victory, Schuberth recorded 30 digs and even dished out nine assists against the Screaming Eagles. Over 84 reception attempts, the libero made just five errors and finished the weekend overall with a .940 reception-percentage. She concluded the weekend averaging 5.00 digs-per-set and affected the match with her service game as the single-season leader in program history for service aces dished out six more against USI, including five in Friday's victory.
 
Leading Attacker
Sophomore middle blocker Alaina Lester has been one of the best offensive options for the Redhawks this season. Lester leads the Redhawks in hitting-percentage with a .348 mark over 60 sets played this year. She has 87 kills on 201 total attacks and has recorded just 17 errors. She ranks second in the OVC in overall hitting-percentage trailing only A'lanae Margaritha of Little Rock (.357). 
 
Everyday 
Two Redhawks this season have played in all 77 sets in juniors Lucy Arndt and Nina Schuberth. Arndt ranks fourth in the OVC in kills (270) and fourth in points (315). Schuberth has a team-leading 29 service aces, 303 digs, and has a .931 reception percentage on the campaign. 
 
Get to .500
This weekend, the Redhawks hit the road with a 2-4 record away from Cape Girardeau in true road tests. SEMO picked up its first two true road victories in Cookeville, Tennessee earlier this season against Tennessee Tech. With a pair of victories this weekend, the Redhawks would get back to the .500 mark away from home. 
 
Katy St. John
Freshman outside hitter Katy St. John ranks third on the squad in total kills. In 64 sets played, St. John has 119 kills on 322 total attacks. She is averaging 1.86 kills-per-set nad has an overall hitting-percentage of .196. She has a season-high of 15 kills, two separate times, coming against Western Michigan and Northern Kentucky earlier this year.