Richmond, Ky. – The Eastern Kentucky volleyball team tied its single-season record for Ohio Valley Conference wins with a 3-0 victory over Southeast Missouri on Friday night. The Colonels (22-4, 12-1 OVC) hit .314 and held the visiting Otahkians to a .064 hitting percentage en route to their 22nd win of the year.

Freshman Amy Arlinghaus led all players with a match-high 17 kills off a .464 hitting percentage, while senior Lesley Aldridge chipped in her team-leading 17th double-double of the year, a 15-kill, 13-dig effort.

Eastern tallied 14 total team blocks in the win, including a season-high nine from junior Liz Guard (five solos, four assists). EKU's co-captain also chipped in 11 kills, helping Eastern tie the 1986 and 1991 teams for the most league wins in a season.

The Colonels built a 12-6 lead from the onset of game one and never trailed the rest of the way. Southeast Missouri tried to regroup with a timeout, trailing 19-13, but EKU did not let up and went ahead 25-18 after a service ace by sophomore Kelly Jennings. A kill from Guard put the finishing touches on EKU's 30-22 win. SEMO hit just .024 in the first game, while the Colonels got four-or-more kills from a quartet of players.

The two teams engaged in back-and-forth battle in game two, trading points to the tune of a 24-all score as the contest drew to an end. Aldridge was the difference for the Colonels down the stretch however, sparking a 5-0 run with three kills and a block assist, to put Eastern ahead 29-24. The Otahkians put an end to the run to make it 29-25, but Aldridge responded with her eighth kill of the game to give Eastern the 30-25 victory.

EKU had little trouble in the final game, as the Otahkians hit a negative-.043 in the contest and watched as the Colonels jumped out to a 7-0 lead. A kill by freshman Shelly George put EKU ahead 15-8 before a Southeast hitting error (one of nine in the game) gave the Colonels a 10-point cushion (22-12). Guard capped off the game with her ninth block of the year, giving Eastern the match with a 30-18 victory.

With 11 kills against the Otahkians, Guard heads into Saturday's match with first-place Eastern Illinois (21-4, 12-0 OVC) just three kills shy of becoming the 11th member of EKU's 1,000-kill club.

Freshman Brittany Nobilio led the EKU defense with a match-high 17 digs, while Jennings guided the offense with 49 assists over the three-game match. Sophomore Kasha Brozek chipped in eight kills and four blocks in the win. SEMO's Jill Miller led the Otahkians with an 11-kill, seven-dig effort.

The Colonels return to action tomorrow afternoon with a match against first-place Eastern Illinois (21-4, 12-0 OVC) at 2 p.m.