Beasleys: Back in Business

When thinking of successful athlete sisters, tennis icons Venus and Serena Williams might come to mind because of their 30 combined Grand Slam titles. During the Fall 2022 volleyball season at Southeast, the Redhawks will get the chance to have their own sisterly dynamic duo.

On Jan. 18, 2022, sophomore outside hitter Taylor Beasley transferred from Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) rival Murray State to join her sister Zoey Beasley at SEMO. Taylor Beasley is coming off of a 50-kill and 25-block season for the Racers, who lost to the Redhawks in the 2021 OVC Tournament.

Zoey said the best part of getting to play with her sister again is their ability to communicate with each other on the court.

“We read each other and know what we’re thinking without having to actually explain it,” Zoey said. “With your siblings, you just have that relationship that you can’t get with anyone else.”

Taylor said playing against her sister during her time at Murray was not weird or awkward, as some may think.

“It was more like we root for each other; I would watch her games, and she would watch my games,” Taylor said. “She would tell me what I need to work on, so it was never really a competition.”

Last season was a good one for Zoey, totaling 436 kills and 62 blocks while backing up senior outside hitter Laney Malloy, who had 506 kills during the 2021 season.

Redhawks head coach Julie Yankus said it is realistic to think Zoey will be the main attacker on offense, and Taylor may be that second offensive player.

“If Zoey maintains where she was last season, she’s going to be one of the top performers in the conference,” Yankus said. “Taylor can step into those fixed rotations, get her couple of kills, which is what we need from her in that position.”

The Beasleys will look to create their own family legacy when the 2022 season begins this fall.