Nov. 3, 2007

Box Score

CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. - Three players recorded double-doubles as Southeast Missouri State volleyball rebounded from a one-game deficit to claim a 3-1 win over visiting Samford this evening in a Ohio Valley Conference contest at Houck Fieldhouse. The Redhawks improved their season record to 18-11 (13-5), while the Bulldogs fell to 14-13 (9-9) on the year.

Sophomore right side hitter Karleigh DeLong (Corona, Calif./Santiago) paced Southeast with 17 kills in addition to 12 digs and five blocks, while freshman outside hitter Claire Keaton (St. Louis, Mo./Incarnate Word) posted 15 kills and 11 digs. Sophomore setter Sarah Barth (Germantown, Ill./Central) notched 45 assists and 12 digs. Seniors Brenna Schlader (Columbia, Mo./Hickman) and Brittany Hastings (Wichita, Kan./Circle) each added 11 kills to go along with sophomore libero Molly Davis' (Muncie, Ind./Burris) 19 digs. Prior to the match, Southeast honored Hastings, Schlader and Sirma Ozenir (Izmir, Turkey/Izmir Karsiyaka) in a pre-match Senior Day ceremony.

Samford broke a 6-6 tie early in the first game with a 13-7 scoring drive to post a 19-13 advantage behind three kills from senior Angela Dempski, junior Sara Sears and sophomore Sheridan Stangohr. A service ace from freshman Samantha Bland later increased the visitors' advantage to 25-17 and the Redhawks could get no closer as the Bulldogs claimed a 1-0 lead.

In the second game, Southeast responded with an early 6-3 run that culminated on a kill from Schlader, but three straight service points from sophomore Courtney Gay evened the score at 7-7.The Bulldogs then outscored the home team by a 12-7 margin to take a 19-14 lead, but an 11-3 run propelled Southeast to regain the lead at 25-22 on a kill by Keaton. After a Southeast hitting error brought Samford to a 28-26 deficit, the Redhawks scored two of the final three points to enter intermission with the match tied at one game apiece.

The Bulldogs jumped out to an early 5-1 lead in the third game on a service ace from Bland before Southeast posted a quick 12-8 run to even the score at 13-13. A 6-1 scoring drive, highlighted by three Dempski kills, helped Samford take a 19-14 advantage. The Redhawks then scored a 6-1 run of their own with two kills and a block assist from Keaton that tied the score at 20-20. Kills from DeLong and Hastings later gave the home team a 26-23 advantage and both teams split the final eight points with Southeast taking a 2-1 match advantage.

Three consecutive kills from Schlader gave the Redhawks a 9-2 lead to open the fourth game and a kill from freshman middle blocker Emily Hughes (Memphis, Tenn./St. Benedict) later increased the lead to 12-6. An 8-6 quick run helped Samford pull to within 18-14 on a Dempski kill, but Southeast used 12-3 run to finish the match.

Samford was led by Stangohr, who posted 17 kills and a match-high seven blocks on the evening. Sears contributed a double-double of 15 kills and 11 digs, while Dempski also produced 15 kills and junior Kirstein Sosnowki added five blocks. Sophomore Sarah Gardner tallied a match-best 20 digs and Bland tallied 16 digs to pace the Bulldog defense.

Southeast held a slim 70-67 advantage in kills, however Samford was tops in both assists (62-60) and blocks (10-7). Both teams were deadlocked in digs (76-76) and service aces (5-5).

The Redhawks head to Tennessee-Martin on Wednesday, Nov. 7 for the final regular season road contest beginning at 7 p.m.