TROY, Ala. – Southeast Missouri women's volleyball (3-0) captured the 2018 Troy Invitational Championship with a three-set sweep of tournament host, Troy (1-1), 25-17, 25-19, 25-20, Saturday morning at the Trojan Arena.
 
Saturday's win marked the third straight three-set sweep for Southeast in the early 2018 season. 
 
"This weekend was a complete team effort," head coach Julie Yankus said after the match. "I credit a lot of our success to the energy and enthusiasm of our bench. They did an amazing job lifting our team in the tough moments and celebrating our successes." 
 
Haley Bilbruck earned Tournament MVP after she posted 20 kills on a .326 hitting clip with 14 total blocks over the three matches. 
 
"Haley was the best blocker at this tournament and she proved it," Yankus said of Bilbruck. "She completely shut down our opponent's outside hitters. She also did a great job offensively by being a diverse attacker and finding ways to score."
 
Newcomers Claire Ochs and Laney Malloy were also tabbed for the All-Tournament Team in their debut weekends with SEMO. Ochs totaled 85 assists (9.44 assists/set) with 22 digs and 11 kills. Malloy tallied 22 kills over the three matches with 19 digs, seven blocks and three aces. 
 
"Claire did an excellent job running our offense and she made some amazing saves defensively," Yankus said. "Laney does such an excellent job in serve and receive and she served amazing in our match with Troy."
 
Southeast opened its match Saturday with a 10-5 lead in the opening set after Madara Bajare and Maggie Adams each tallied kills to prompt a Troy timeout. The Redhawks then extended their lead to 15-9 with kills from Bilbruck and Malloy and an Ally Dion ace. 
 
Back-to-back kills from Krista Berns and Bajare moved the score line to 20-12 as the Trojans would come as close as seven before SEMO took game one, 25-17. 
 
Southeast outhit Troy .343 to .097 in the first set and finished with a clip of .236.
 
The second set started as a back and forth affair before a kill from Berns started an 8-0 run and gave the Redhawks set point at 24-15. The Trojans mounted a 4-0 rally to cut into SEMO's advantage, 24-19, before Ochs sized up the defense and perfectly placed a kill to squash the set. 
 
The third and final set was the most contested of the three between the two teams. With ties of 6-6 to 12-12, Southeast broke the deadlock with a kill and a block from Bilbruck along with a kill from Dion to bring the score to 15-12 in favor of SEMO.
 
Troy continued to chip away at the deficit and came within a point, 21-20, on an attack error. Southeast then closed out the match with kills from Bilbruck and Malloy along with consecutive service aces from Dion. 
 
Dion finished Saturday with three aces and led the team defensively with 11 digs.
 
Bajare led the Redhawks offensively in their third match with a career best 13 kills on a .367 hitting percentage. She finished the weekend with a team high 27 kills. 
 
"Madara also had an amazing weekend offensively," Yankus said of Bajare. "She hit very efficiently and got us out of some tough situations by attacking over and around the block. She had a great performance this weekend."
 
Bilbruck chipped in seven kills and Malloy added six. 
 
Ochs led the team with 29 assists.
 
Southeast out blocked Troy, 15-6, and were led by Krista Berns who posted a career best nine block assists with four kills. Bilbruck added six total blocks (two solo, four block assists) and Ochs, Adams and Malloy each had four. 
 
Southeast continues its 2018 season with a mid-week road match at Evansville on Tuesday at 6 p.m., CT before opening its home slate with the Redhawks Invitational Aug. 31 to Sept. 1 at Houck Field House and Saxony Lutheran High School (Saturday).