Redhawks women's soccer team picked for third-place finish in 0VC

The Southeast Missouri State women's soccer team has been picked to finish third in the Ohio Valley Conference in voting by the league's head coaches.

Samford, the two-time defending OVC regular-season champion, is the favorite to again win the 10-team conference. The Bulldogs (10-7-1 overall, 7-1 in the OVC last year) received eight of the 10 first-place votes and 80 points.

Eastern Illinois (13-6-2, 6-1-1), which captured its fourth straight OVC tournament title and fifth overall last year, picked up the other two first-place votes and 73 points.

Southeast, which was 11-6-2 overall last season and tied for fifth in the OVC at 3-3-2, received 63 points.

Jacksonville State is predicted to finish fourth with 57 points, followed by Tennessee Tech (43), Murray State (40), Austin Peay (29), Morehead State (29), Tennessee-Martin (20) and first-year program Eastern Kentucky (16 points).

Southeast, which opened its exhibition schedule Saturday with a 3-2 penalty-kick win over the St. Louis Soccer Club, has another home exhibition game Friday, facing J.B. Marine from St. Louis at 7:30 p.m. at Houck Stadium.

The Redhawks will also play an alumni team at 7:30 p.m. Saturday at Houck Stadium. They open the regular season Aug. 26 in the Austin Peay Tournament.

Tennis adds two players

Southeast women's tennis coach Jay Pacelli has added two players to the program for the coming school year, including a transfer.

Pacelli recently signed Luz Garcia, who played the last two seasons at Troy University in Alabama, and Juliana Negosek.

Garcia played No. 6 singles on Troy's 2004 Atlantic Sun Conference championship team that qualified for the NCAA tournament. She played No. 4 singles at Troy last season.

Garcia, ranked No. 13 nationally while an 18-and-under player in her native Colombia, will be a junior at Southeast.

Negosek achieved an 18-and-under national ranking of No. 23 in her native Brazil last year, and she was ranked No. 5 in her state. She will be a freshman at Southeast.

"These are two very good additions to our program," Pacelli said. "Luz is a good, solid player who brings a great bit of experience to a developing tennis team. She considered several good programs, and we feel very fortunate we got her.

"Juliana is a bright, young player with a great attitude."

Softball signs two more

Southeast softball coach Lana Richmond has announced the signing of two more players for the 2006 season.

Jennifer Monaghan is a first baseman from Lake Worth, Fla., who sat out last season at a junior college due to an injury. The two-time all-state selection, who batted .559 in high school, will have four years of eligibility at Southeast.

Lauren Bradley is an infielder and pitcher from Shawnee Mission South High School in Overland Park, Kan. She led her prep squad in hitting, home runs and RBIs four straight seasons.

"We're very excited about both of these players," Richmond said. "They have the potential to come in and contribute right away, and Jennifer has the potential to be one of the top power hitters in the OVC."

Monaghan and Bradley join early signees Jessica Rosencrants and Amber Peterson as newcomers for this season.

Football Ladies Clinic set

The Southeast football coaching staff will host its fifth annual Redhawks Ladies Football Clinic on Aug. 24 at the Show Me Center.

Registration and reception begin at 6:30 p.m., with the program featuring football fundamentals from 7:30 to 9 p.m. There is no admission charge.

Southeast coach Tim Billings and his entire staff will be on hand to instruct the clinic sessions. They will discuss the basics of football for offense, defense and the kicking game. There will be equipment demonstrations, rules explanations and a question-and-answer session. Beverages and light snacks will accompany the program.

-- From staff reports