Southeast Missouri State University's volleyball team will face a pair of crucial Ohio Valley Conference matches this week.

The Otahkians will take on Austin Peay at 7 o'clock tonight at Houck Field House, then hit the road Thursday for a 7 p.m. match against league-leading Eastern Illinois in Charleston.

Southeast, winner of the past five OVC regular-season championships, has been on a serious roll after somewhat of an inconsistent start. The Otahkians have won 10 straight matches, boosting their record to 16-7.

The Otahkians are 8-2 in OVC play, good for second place behind 11-0 Eastern Illinois. Austin Peay is on Southeast's heels with a 6-3 league record, good for fourth place.

"It's a huge week for us," said Southeast coach Cindy Gannon. "We need to beat Austin Peay, then go to Eastern Illinois and beat them and then hope somebody else can help us out by knocking them off."