2025 Ohio Valley Conference Tournament
#5 Little Rock (16-14, 11-7 OVC) vs. #4 Southeast Missouri (20-12, 12-6 OVC)
 
Match Information: 
Date: Sunday, November 23 
Time: 7 p.m., CT. 
Location: Charleston, Illinois
Venue: Gardella Family Court
Series: SEMO leads 5-2
 
Head Coaches: 
SEMO: Julie Yankus (248-218, 154-108 OVC | 15^th Season)
LR: Van Compton (38^th Season)
 
Follow the Redhawks: 
X: @SEMOVb
Live Stats: SideArm Sports
Watch: ESPN+
 
Game Notes (PDF)
Media Guide (PDF)
 
#4 Redhawks Face #5 Little Rock in Quarterfinals of 2025 OVC Tournament
#4 Southeast Missouri Volleyball (20-12, 12-6 OVC) will take on #5 Little Rock (16-14, 11-7 OVC) in the Quarterfinal round of the 2025 Ohio Valley Conference Tournament. The Redhawks and Trojans will be the final game of the day on Sunday, November 23, in Charleston, Illinois. First serve is slated for 7 p.m. from Gardella Family Court. 
 
Series History
The Redhawks and Trojans will meet for the eighth time on the volleyball court and the second time this season. Overall, SEMO holds a 5-2 record against LR but fell earlier this season by a final score of 3-2 in Little Rock, Arkansas. Sunday's meeting will be the first matchup in the OVC Tournament between both teams. 
 
First & Second Team All-OVC
A pair of Redhawks landed on the 2025 All-OVC Postseason Team(s) this season in junior Lucy Arndt and sophomore Marin Johnson. Arndt landed on the First Team for the third-straight season. The 2023 OVC Freshman of the Year ended the regular season with 409 kills and an overall hitting-percentage of .194, and a .212 mark in league play. 
 
Johnson landed on the Second Team All-OVC list for the first time in her career. The Wheaton, Illinois-native finished second on the squad in kills with 317 on 906 total attacks. 
 
Tournament History
The 2025 tournament marks the 35^th time in program history that SEMO Volleyball has made the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament. 15^th year head coach Julie Yankus has now led the program to the tournament in 14 of 15 seasons. Overall, SEMO holds a 36-23 tournament record having won the tournament seven times. 
 
Faring Well in Charleston
SEMO Volleyball returns to Charleston, Illinois for the tournament for the fourth time in the program's history. The Redhawks have an overall record of 6-2 in Charleston, most recently making it to the championship match in 2023. The Redhawks have won the championship one time in Charleston during the 1998 season. 
 
As a 4-Seed
Since 1998, the Redhawks have been a four seed in six matches in tournament play. SEMO holds a 2-4 record overall as a four seed. 
 
Looking For 8
The Redhawks will begin their quest for the programs' eighth OVC Tournament Championship, with the most recent coming during the 2021 season. SEMO Volleyball has won the championship in 2021, 2019, 2000, 1999, 1998, 1996, and 1994. A tournament championship would be the third for Julie Yankus at the helm of SEMO Volleyball. 
 
Nearing 250
15^th year Head Coach Julie Yankus is just two wins away from reaching career win number 250 at the helm of SEMO Volleyball. In 15 seasons, Yankus holds a 248-218 overall record. Earlier this season, Yankus recorded her 150^th career victory in OVC play against Lindenwood (11/8). 
 
Regular Season Finale
Southeast Missouri Volleyball closed the book on the 2025 regular season with back-to-back victories over SIUE in Edwardsville, Illinois last Tuesday & Wednesday. The Redhawks defeated SIUE by scores of 3-1 and 3-0, respectively, to close the regular season on an eight-match win streak. Sophomore Marin Johnson paced the Redhawks offense over the two matches with 25 kills on 67 total attempts. She finished the final week with a .343 hitting-percentage. 
 
OVC DPOW
Sophomore defensive specialist/libero Holland Guilliams was named the Ohio Valley Conference 'Defensive Player of the Week' in the final week of the season. The sophomore from Jackson, Missouri, recorded a career-high 30 digs against SIUE on Tuesday night. She followed the performance up with 20 more digs in the regular season finale on Wednesday in a 3-0 victory over SIUE. 
 
Guilliams finished the week with 50 total digs, averaging a 7.14 digs-per-set over seven sets. She also had 20 total reception attempts which resulted in just one error for a .950 reception percentage, including a flawless 1.000 reception mark in Tuesday's match.
 
Eight in a Row
SEMO Volleyball concluded the 2025 regular season on an eight-match winning streak. The Redhawks' win streak began on October 31 with a win against Tennessee State. Since then, the Redhawks have swept TSU, Lindenwood, Western Illinois, and SIUE. SEMO has dropped just two sets over the win streak. 
 
Neutral Site Success
The Redhawks and Trojans will meet on a neutral site to begin the tournament. SEMO has played in six neutral site matches in 2025 and holds a 5-1 overall record in those games. The Redhawks secured wins over Grambling State, Western Michigan, Northern Kentucky, Kansas City, and Missouri State at a netural site this season. 
 
Third All-Time
Junior Nina Schuberth has recorded 136 service aces for her career overall. In three seasons, Schuberth now ranks third all-time in the program's history for aces having surpassed Laney Malloy who had 132 from 2018-2021. Schuberth recorded an ace in the first match against SIUE.
 
Fourth In the Nation
Outside hitter Lucy Arndt has recorded 1,369 total attacks through 32 matches this season. Arndt ranks fourth in all of NCAA Division I Volleyball, trailing Elena Giacomini who is the nation's attack leader. 
 
Freshman Standout
Freshman Katy St. John had an impressive first season of collegiate volleyball. St. John, a native of nearby Jackson, Mo., finished the regular season third on the Redhawks in kills with 224. Over 109 sets played, St. John is averaging 2.06 kills per set. 
 
Middle Trio
In the middle of the Redhawks defense, middle blockers Ramiri Gardner, Alaina Lester, and Kara Oxenknecht have done a great job on the defensive side of the net. Alaina Lester leads the Redhawks with 75 total blocks, followed by Oxenknecht with 64, and Gardner with 42. As a team, SEMO is averaging 1.91 blocks per set and has 233.0 total blocks in 2025. 
 
The Setters
Sophomore Megan Holder and senior Alandry Below have handled the bulk of the setting responsibilities for the Redhawks in 2025. Holder leads the program with 662 total assists, averaging 5.61 assists per set. Below follows behind with 361 total assists and a 4.57 average per set. The duo makes up 1,023 of 1,491 team assists.