Southeast Missouri State spikers grab second at K-State tournament

The Southeast Missouri State volleyball team continued its strong early-season play over the weekend by finishing second at the Kansas State Invitational in Manhattan, Kan.

Southeast went 2-1 for the second straight tournament, pushing its record to 4-2. Host Kansas State went 3-0 to win its own tournament.

The Redhawks began play Friday with a 25-23, 25-17, 25-15 loss to unbeaten Kansas State (6-0).

Southeast bounced back to win its final two matches, beating Siena 27-25, 25-13, 25-13 on Friday and SIU Carbondale 21-25, 25-21, 20-25, 25-23, 15-10 on Saturday.

The Redhawks snapped a four-match losing streak to SIU (2-5) dating back to 2008. Southeast had last beaten SIU on Oct. 9, 2007.

"It feels great to win another close, five-set match," Southeast coach Julie Yankus said in a release. "We played in streaks, but I'm glad we remained calm and our leadership came through in tight situations."

Colleen Yarber led the Redhawks with 16 kills against SIU. She added 19 digs. Emily Coon had 12 kills and four blocks. Taylor Masterson posted a career-high 11 blocks, and Kelsey Keeve recorded a career-high eight blocks.

Berkley Idel had 23 digs, Andrea Baylin contributed 12 digs and Julie Shives dished out 40 assists.

"Yarber really came through in some clutch situations and our blocking shut them down in the fifth set," Yankus said.

Yarber had 11 kills against Siena (1-5). Idel recorded 23 digs and Shives dished out 24 assists.

Coon and Yarber each had eight kills against Kansas State. Idel posted 11 digs, Shives had 19 assists and Masterson added four blocks.

Yarber and Coon were named to the all-tournament team.

Southeast returns to action next weekend with its third straight tournament to begin the season, at Ohio State. The Redhawks play Xavier at 3 p.m. Friday, followed by Saturday matches against host Ohio State at 11:30 a.m. and IUPUI at 3:30 p.m.

Soccer

Southeast, after playing its first three games on the road, finally had its first home contest Friday night.

The Redhawks were unable to notch their first win of the season, but they did avoid their fourth consecutive loss.

Southeast and Arkansas State battled to a scoreless tie in front of a big crowd at Houck Stadium. The announced attendance was 815.

The Redhawks, who have scored just one goal all season, are 0-3-1. The Red Wolves are 2-1-2.

Senior keeper Ashton Aubuchon recorded eight saves for her first shutout of the season. She now has 16 career shutouts, the second-most in school history.

On the other end, Amanda Lee made 10 saves as the squads could not find the net during the 90 minutes of regulation and two 10-minute overtime periods.

Southeast had plenty of strong scoring chances and coach Heather Nelson came away pleased with the Redhawks' performance, especially in regulation.

Southeast finished with a 17-13 advantage in shots. Each squad attempted six corner kicks.

The Redhawks' return to action Friday with a 4 p.m. matchup at Illinois State.

-- From staff reports