HOT OTAHKS READY TO OPEN OVC SCHEDULE

Southeast Missouri State University volleyball coach Cindy Gannon figures her team can't be much more prepared for tonight's start of Ohio Valley Conference play.

The Otahkians survived a rugged pre-conference schedule and should be brimming with confidence when they take on Austin Peay in a 7 p.m. match in Clarksville, Tenn.

Southeast, the heavy preseason league favorite and winner of six of the past eight OVC titles, will conclude its two-day conference road swing Saturday with a 1 p.m. match against Tennessee State in Nashville.

"We're ready to play and we're looking forward to the start of the OVC schedule," said Gannon, whose team is 7-4. "It's going to be a dog fight, as always, but I think the teams we have played so far this season have really helped us prepare for the start of the conference season."

The Otahkians began the campaign 0-4 -- which was not totally unexpected. After falling to a tough Arkansas State team at home to open the season, Southeast went 0-3 in the Colorado State Tournament, losing to a pair of nationally-ranked teams in the process.

But since that time, the Otahkians have reeled off seven straight victories, all on the road. They handed St. Louis its only loss to date and won two tournament championships, at Missouri and Kentucky.

"We knew the early part of the season was going to be very difficult for us," Gannon said. "We made the decision that, to get a higher seed if we make the NCAA Tournament again, we had to play those types of teams."

Gannon couldn't have been happier with the way her squad bounced back after losing its first four matches.

"The kids responded by winning two fantastic tournaments," she said. "To win at Missouri and Kentucky was great.

"We've handed St. Louis their only loss and the only game Colorado State has lost was to us in their tournament. So we're getting some national recognition. I'll be 7-4 and play nationally ranked teams every day to get us this type of recognition."

Gannon figures her squad will be tested right off the bat as it begins OVC play. Austin Peay is already off to a 2-0 league start, including a big win over Murray State earlier in the week.

"Austin Peay returns everybody and they're a very scrappy team," she said. "I expect a tough match."

Tennessee Tech has the early OVC lead at 3-0 while defending regular-season champion Eastern Illinois and Austin Peay are both 2-0. Southeast is the only OVC squad that has not yet played a conference match.