Oct. 23, 2008

By: Bryce Weymouth, Sports Information Assistant

CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. - The Redhawks volleyball team resumes Ohio Valley Conference play this weekend as they hit the road for a pair of OVC contests. The Redhawks will take on OVC leader Morehead State on Friday, October 24 at Wetherby Gym at 6:00 p.m. and then travel to Richmond, Kentucky on Saturday, October 25 to take on Eastern Kentucky at McBrayer Arena at 11:00 a.m.

The Redhawks (7-11, 5-5 OVC) look to snap out of a five-game losing streak after falling to SIU Edwardsville 3-1 at Houck Fieldhouse on Tuesday. The Redhawks defense has been ranked towards the top of the OVC this season, as they have allowed opponents to hit only .196, but against the Cougars the Redhawks allowed an attack percentage of .289.

Junior libero, Molly Davis recorded her 1,461 career in that match, which moved her into third on the all-time career digs list at SEMO, just 60 behind Tuba Meto who ranks first all-time with 1,521 career digs.

The Redhawks, currently in fifth place in the OVC, are led offensively by Claire Keaton. Keaton ranks sixth in the OVC in kills and seventh in points per game, with 3.30 and 3.73 respectively. Keaton once again led the Redhawks in kills against the Cougars as she recorded 15 kills. Karleigh DeLong is second on the team with 2.75 kills per set and ranks tenth in the OVC with 3.32 points per game. Sarah Barth leads the team and ranks second in the OVC with 8.63 assists per game. Barth led the Redhawks with 39 assists against the Cougars. Sophomore Kelly Benacka ranks fourth in the OVC in service aces.

The Redhawks defense ranks fourth in the OVC in blocks at 1.61 per game and are led up front by Emily Hughes. Hughes is fourth in the OVC in blocks at .076 per game. Hughes is also second on the team in total kills with 123 for the season.

The Redhawks are third in the OVC with 17.24 digs per game and are led by Davis, who places fifth in the conference with 4.37 digs per game.

Scouting the Eagles

The Eagles (18-4, 9-1 OVC) currently sit alone in first place in the OVC and are currently riding a two-game losing streak, with their latest loss coming from non-conference opponent Cincinnati on Tuesday. The Eagles defeated the Redhawks in their first match-up of the season in straight sets 3-0 (25-17, 27-25, 25-21). Hughes led the Redhawks that day with 10 kills and four blocks, while Davis led all players with 17 digs for the match.

The Eagles are currently in second in the OVC in kills per game as a team with 13.62, largely in part to Ashley Doscher who places seventh in the conference with 3.29 kills per game. Katelyn Barbour leads the team and is seventh in the OVC with 6.65 assists per game. Kristina Schoo is third in the OVC in service aces.

The Eagles are holding opponents to a .144 hitting percentage, which leads the OVC. As a team the Eagles also lead the OVC in blocks with 2.15 blocks per game. Up front the Eagles have the top three blockers in the league, with Emma Keough leading the way with 1.00 blocks per game.

Schoo places second in the OVC in digs with 4.87 per game. As a team the Eagles are recording 17.18 digs per game and place fourth in the OVC.

The Redhawks continue to lead the all-time series against the Eagles with a 23-12 record.

Scouting the Colonels

The Colonels (4-16, 3-7 OVC) are currently in eighth place in the OVC and are coming off a 3-2 win over Tennessee State. The last match-up between the Redhawks and Colonels was a five-set thriller that the Redhawks fought back to win 3-2 (25-27, 21-25, 25-6, 25-19, 15-11). Keaton and DeLong both recorded double-doubles in the win. Keaton tallied a match-high 24 kills and chipped in 13 digs, while Delong recorded 15 kills and 11 digs. Jill Henneman led all players with 36 assists for the Colonels.

Offensively the Colonels are led by Lindsey Loescher. Loescher places second in the OVC with 3.61 kills per game, fourth in points per game with 4.03 and ninth in service aces. Kate Hendle leads the Colonels with 9.09 assists per game.

Abby O’Conner leads the Colonels defense as she earned OVC defensive player of the week this past week and is averaging 4.68 digs per game, which places her fourth in the OVC. The Colonels are allowing a conference worst .248 opponents hitting percentage.

The Redhawks look to continue their streak of dominance against the Colonels as they have compiled a 28-5 all-time record against them.