Sports
Volleyball Picked First in 2025 OVC Preseason Poll
BRENTWOOD, Tenn. – Southeast Missouri Volleyball was picked to finish first in the 2025 Ohio Valley Conference Preseason ‘Pridicted Order of Finish’, the league announced on Thursday afternoon.
The Redhawks, who are coming off the program’s 11th Ohio Valley Conference regular season championship in 2024, received 15 first-place votes and 194 points from the league’s head coaches and communication staff(s).
Head Coach Julie Yankus, who enters her 15th season at the helm in 2025, on what the preseason ranking means for the program: “We are honored to be predicted to finish first, but our team understands that nothing will be handed to us, and we must work extremely hard to back it up. We will use it as motivation throughout the season.”
The program also returns a pair of All-OVC players from the 2024 campaign in juniors Nina Schuberth and Lucy Arndt. Arndt was selected to the First-Team All-OVC for the second-straight season. She led the Redhawks in total attacks (1,480), kills (437), kills-per-set (3.39), and service aces (40).
Head Coach Julie Yankus on Arndt: “Lucy is such a great player because she is so coachable and truly works hard to get better every day. Her resilience last year after struggling in the preseason shows her perseverance and her willingness to put in the work. I’m thrilled to see what Lucy can do her junior year as she has continued to improve her ball control and expand her offensive weapons.”
Libero Nina Schuberth is the reigning 2024 Ohio Valley Conference ‘Defensive Player of the Year’ marking the third-straight season a Redhawk has garnered the award (Beilsmith, 2022 & 2023). Schuberth finished the campaign with a league-leading 563 digs over 129 sets, for a 4.36 digs-per-set mark.
“Nina had a breakout season last year and I’m excited to see what she can accomplish as she continues to grow as a player. She does a great job getting us quality digs that we can turn into transition kills,” said Yankus. “Nina has been working hard to expand her defensive range and stay consistent in serve receive. I look forward to seeing what she can achieve this season.”
Player To Watch
Sophomore middle blocker Alaina Lester landed on the preseason ‘Players to Watch’ list after a historical freshman campaign. Lester finished with 28 solo blocks, 108 block assists, and 136.0 total blocks. In single-season program history, Lester ranks ninth, third, and fifth, respectively, in those categories.
“Alaina is arguably the best blocker I have ever coached. She is a sponge when it comes to any and everything blocking related. Alaina sees the game well and uses her volleyball IQ to make great blocking decisions during competition,” said Yankus. She is working hard to improve her attacking range and I think she will be much more of an offensive threat this season. I’m excited to see how Alaina will make an impact this year.”
Lindenwood received one first-place vote and accumulated 161 points, narrowly edging third-place Tennessee Tech (6) who received 160 points. Morehead State with 148 points, Little Rock with 132 points, and Western Illinois with 121 points rounded out the top six in the preseason poll.
The rest of the poll rounded out with SIUE at 78 points in seventh, Eastern Illinois with 76 points in eighth, UT Martin with 48 points in ninth, and tied for 10th was Southern Indiana and Tennessee State at 46 points.
SEMO Volleyball begins the 2025 campaign on Friday, August 29, with a pair of matches beginning at 11 a.m. against Grambling State. The Redhawks will return later that night to take on SEC-member and host, Mississippi State at 6 p.m. in Starkville, Miss.
2025 OVC Volleyball Predicted Order of Finish
1. Southeast Missouri (15) – 194
2. Lindenwood (1) – 161
3. Tennessee Tech (6) – 160
4. Morehead State – 148
5. Little Rock – 132
6. Western Illinois – 121
7. SIUE – 78
8. Eastern Illinois – 76
9. UT Martin – 48
10. Southern Indiana – 46
Tennessee State – 46
2025 OVC Volleyball Returning All-OVC
RS – Autumn Bax, Lindenwood
DS – Andrea Roman, Little Rock
OH – M.E. Hargan, Morehead State
OH – Lucy Arndt, Southeast Missouri
L – Nina Schuberth, Southeast Missouri
MH – Bianca Anderson, Southern Indiana
S – Jordan Karlen, Tennessee Tech
OH – Alayna Pierce, Tennessee Tech
OH – Kylie Surratt, UT Martin
OH – Keyana Cruse, Western Illinois
2025 OVC Volleyball Watch List
Lilli Amettis, Sr., OH, Eastern Illinois
Ashley Geluck, Jr., MB, Lindenwood
A’lanae Margaritha, Sr., MB, Little Rock
Amelia Nott, Jr., MB, Morehead State
Alaina Lester, So., MB, Southeast Missouri
Bree Schreimann, Sr., OH, SIUE
Ashby Willis, Jr., OH, Southern Indiana
Melae’ Lacy, So., OH, Tennessee State
Jordyn Milhouse, Fr., MB, Tennessee Tech
Kayla Bryant, Sr., OH, UT Martin
Kennedy Adair, Jr., OH, Western Illinois