SEMO volleyball returns with new talent and high hopes for OVC title

SEMO volleyball makes their return for the fall season, entering with new talent and title aspirations.

The Redhawks' last season finished with a record of 22-10 and a second place finish in the OVC tournament falling just short of winning their second title in three years.

In OVC preseason polls the Redhawks opened as the favorite to win the conference title, being ranked first in a vote by the head coaches and communication directors in the OVC.

Head Coach Julie Yankus said that upon hearing this the team was surprised, and looking to prove that ranking during the season.

“We were pretty shocked, honestly, just because we have such a new group of young women on this team, it's really unexpected how we're gonna be able to put it all together. So it just shows, obviously, the respect that the players before them have earned and that the program has earned. And so we were quite shocked, but happily so. It just shows we don't know what to expect for the season. It's (the conference) gonna be really competitive from top to bottom in the conference,” Yankus said.

While most teams would feel pressure to perform, Yankus says that this team is used to the expectation to perform, as they have been highly ranked for many of the past seasons.

“We've dealt with that [the pressure of high ranking] the last few years, but we've been picked at the top of the last few years as well, or at least close to it. So we expect that target on our back, and we just work every day and make sure we can respond to it,” Yankus said.

The Redhawks enter the season with a new roster from last season, as 10 seniors graduated off the team, including star players such as all-time OVC dig leader, and the 2023 defensive player of the year Tara Bielsmith, and all OVC second-team setter Izzy Lukens.

This season Yankus says that the roster is filled with new faces through transfers and freshman, who are all capable of making an impact for the redhawks regardless of age and position.

“We have a really, really deep bench right now, and a lot of people that can step in and make a difference if we need them to… at one point, we had three freshmen starting against Ole Miss this weekend. We have a lot of new faces, so I think there's going to be a lot of impact from a lot of different players,” Yankus said.

One player new to the Redhawks roster that is already set to make an impact is graduate student right side hitter Abby Johnson who transferred to SEMO from Bradley University.

Johnson was named on the list of OVC players to watch, as she boasts a 6-foot-5 frame and high blocking and attacking play style.

“She's a really good blocker. She goes up against me every time in practice. So that's actually really nice to have a big blocker, so I can work getting around her. And she's a really good hitter, and she can find the shots on the court,” Sophomore outside hitter Lucy Arndt said.

Arndt is entering the season after a successful campaign last year in which she was named the OVC Freshman of the year, and selected to the all-OVC team. Arndt has already added to her collection of awards this season, picking up a preseason all-OVC team award, and looks to add even more this season.

“I know people are gonna target me. So it's just getting that 1% better every time, getting better every single day, and then working on what I need to work on,” Arndt said.

As the season inches closer, the rest of the Redhawks have this mindset as well, shown through extra hours in the gym and camaraderie with one another.

“It's just great to see the camaraderie, the true understanding of putting the team first, just watching the excitement, the effort. The amount of time they're putting in extra in the gym right now is phenomenal, and I hope that we'll all translate right when we get to competition. I just truly love this team. I think they're just a great group of women that really represent SEMO well and that play great volleyball,” Yankus said.

The Redhawks take on the Central Michigan Tournament next playing multiple games on Sept. 13 and 14.