Sept. 20, 2006

Box Score

CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. - Senior outside hitter Jessica Koeper (Jackson, Mo./Jackson) tallied a double-double with a match-best 20 kills and 27 digs as Southeast Missouri State volleyball captured its home opener Wednesday night at Houck Fieldhouse with a 3-1 (30-21, 29-31, 30-27, 30-25) win over Bradley. With the win, Southeast improves to 6-7, while Bradley falls to 3-8 on the year.

Junior outside hitter Brittany Hastings (Wichita, Kan./Circle) added a career-best 19 kills and senior setter Jamie Baumstark (Hermann, Mo./Hermann) posted a match-best 49 assists for Southeast. Junior middle blocker Brenna Schlader (Columbia, Mo./Hickman) and freshman middle blocker Hannah Weis (St. Louis, Mo./Incarnate Word) added eight kills apiece, while Schlader contributed seven blocks (three solo, four assisted). Freshmen liberos Taylor Harbster (Grand Prairie, Tex./South Grand Prairie) and Molly Davis (Muncie, Ind./Burris) recorded 17 and 12 digs, respectively for the Redhawks.

The Redhawks opened a 5-2 lead in the first game on a kill by Schlader. Bradley later came back to pull within 18-16 on a service ace by Katrina Goncher, but consecutive kills by Hastings hiked the home team's advantage to 20-16. After an Amy McFarland solo block brought the Braves to within 20-18, Southeast used a 10-3 scoring drive to claim a 1-0 lead, capped by back-to-back kills from Koeper.

In the second game, Southeast continued where it left off by taking an early 6-3 lead on a Koeper kill, but the Braves scored three straight points to even the score a 6-6. Down 19-14 later in the stanza, Bradley used a 9-3 scoring drive to claim a 23-22 lead thanks to a kill by Nikki Pierzchala, but another Koeper kill on the next play evened the score at 23-23. A Hastings kill and two hitting errors by the Braves gave the Redhawks' game point at 29-28, but the visitors scored the final three points on two Southeast hitting errors and a McFarland block to even the match at 1-1.

Two Weis kills and a service ace by Davis brought the Redhawks a 7-2 lead early in the third game and a Schlader kill later gave the home team a 16-10 advantage. Kills by Hastings and Weis increased Southeast's lead to 22-18 before three consecutive points by the Braves sliced their deficit to a point at 22-21 on a Southeast hitting error. Back-to-back Bradley hitting errors gave the Redhawks a 2-1 advantage in the match.

A Hastings kill broke a 9-9 tie in the fourth game to give the home team a 10-9 lead. Kills by Koeper and Weis on consecutive plays put Southeast ahead by a 17-13 margin before the Braves scored three quick points to close within 17-16 thanks to a service ace by Kaitlin Comiskey. The Redhawks then managed to score 13 of the game's final 22 points to close the match.

Amber DeBroux tallied 13 kills and 11 digs and Goncher added nine kills and four blocks to lead Bradley. Sam Black recorded 27 assists, while Comiskey and Brooke Bond each posted 15 digs. McFarland finished with seven kills and seven blocks, including four solo blocks for Bradley.

The Redhawks open Ohio Valley Conference play on Friday, Sept. 22 against UT Martin at Houck with the first serve at 7 p.m.