SEMO falls to Morehead State 3-1 ending their OVC playoff run

SEMO volleyball was defeated by the Morehead State Eagles on Nov. 25 by a score of 3-1 bringing their Ohio valley Conference playoff run to an end.

The game started competitively in the first quarter, with both teams battling for the lead throughout the set. The Redhawks came out on top in the first set, overcoming deficits of up to 5 points to win the set by a score of 25-23

The eagles however came into the second with even more momentum, and battled their way to win the set 25-22.

In the third set the Eagles continued with the same momentum as in the second set, however the Redhawks looked to counter this, scoring points and even amassing a four point lead at one point during the set. However, through a series of communication errors for the Redhawks combined with constant pressure from the Eagles attack, the Eagles won the third set by a score of 25-20, taking a 2-1 lead.

The Eagles continued the momentum into the third set only letting the Redhawks lead once the entire set. Despite this, the Redhawks battled hard, forcing the game into a win-by-two situation. The eagles however came out on top, winning the set 27-25, and the game 3-1.

With the loss the Redhawks were eliminated from OVC playoffs, while the Eagles advanced to the finals against Lindenwood.

Head coach Julie Yankus said that despite the loss she is proud of the way that the team performed throughout the game; fighting until the very end.

“Even though we lost, I'm still so proud of this team and proud of the season we had. It's frustrating because we had moments. We were up by six points in that third set and couldn't close it out, and I think some of that just comes from the experience that you need on the floor,” Yankus said. “Our team, though, we were going to go down swinging. We weren't going to give up at any moment, and we were going to put it all out there.”

The Redhawks finished the season with a 19-13 overall record and a 15-3 conference record, along with a regular season championship.

Yankus commented on the future of the team, saying that with the young core of players, the team could continue to grow and improve as the years go on.

“The sky's the limit with this group. We graduate five seniors who have done great jobs for this program, but with all that youth and everybody coming back, we've got a great recruiting class,” Yankus said. “I really feel like the future is really bright, so they're only going to get better. I mean, these players got better throughout the season. Now we have a whole spring to actually train and continue to improve.”