Sept. 22, 2006

Box Score

CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. - Junior middle blocker Brenna Schlader (Columbia, Mo./Hickman) tallied a season-high 18 kills and four blocks (two solo, two assisted) as Southeast Missouri State volleyball recorded a three-game (30-19, 30-15, 30-22) victory over UT Martin tonight in the Ohio Valley Conference opener for both teams. With the win, the Redhawks even their season record at 7-7 (1-0), while the Skyhawks fall to 11-4 (0-1) on the year.

Senior outside hitter Jessica Koeper (Jackson, Mo./Jackson) added 12 kills, while senior setter Jamie Baumstark (Hermann, Mo./Hermann) produced a match-best 34 assists along with seven kills and seven digs. Freshman libero Molly Davis (Muncie, Ind./Burris) recorded a match-high 16 digs and freshman libero Taylor Harbster (Grand Prairie, Texas/South Grand Prairie) posted nine digs.

"We came out to play our game and I feel that we dominated. UT Martin didn't play their best match, but I thought we still went out and took care of our side," Redhawks head coach Renata Nowacki said. "A lot of credit goes to Jamie [Baumstark] for setting this match the way she did in distributing the offense. She had put our hitters in really good positions to score, including Brenna."

The Redhawks opened an early 9-3 lead in the first game with a kill by Koeper. The Skyhawks came back with a quick 7-2 run to close within 12-10 on a Southeast hitting error, but a UT Martin hitting error started a game-ending 18-9 scoring drive to claim a 1-0 lead.

In the second game, Southeast's defense forced the Skyhawks to post a -.103 hitting clip. A Baumstark service ace and a kill by freshman middle blocker Hannah Weis (St. Louis, Mo./Incarnate Word) handed the home team a 9-5 advantage, while a kill from Brittany Hastings (Wichita, Kan./Circle) later increased Southeast's lead to 13-8. UT Martin retaliated by scoring five of the next seven points to slice its deficit at 15-13 on a kill by Kathryn Sprague. The Redhawks finished the stanza with a 15-2 run that culminated with a service ace by Davis to head into the break with a two-game advantage.

A kill by Sirma Ozenir (Izmir, Turkey/Izmir Karsiyaka) and a service ace by Koeper put Southeast ahead by a 7-4 margin early in the third game. Three straight points by the Skyhawks, including a service ace by Anna Gastreau, knotted the score at 7-7. The Redhawks then used a service ace from Weis and a kill by Hastings to reclaim the lead at 10-7. Baumstark later put the home team ahead by three at 15-12 with a service ace, but a quick 4-1 scoring drive helped UT Martin forge a 16-16 tie. Another Weis service ace and consecutive kills from Schlader hiked the Redhawks' lead back to four at 20-16. Southeast finished the match with a 10-6 scoring drive.

"I thought we had a full team effort tonight. Our passes were on target so Jamie was able to set big hitters and we put it down for her," added Schlader, who also recorded a career-best .708 hitting percentage.

Southeast is back in action tomorrow afternoon with an OVC match-up against Murray State at Houck Fieldhouse. The first serve is at 2 p.m.