JACKSONVILLE, Ala – The #2-seeded Southeast Missouri women's volleyball team (23-10, 12-4 OVC) swept #4 Morehead State (23-9, 12-4 OVC), 26-24, 25-19, 28-26, Saturday evening at the Pete Mathews Coliseum to capture the 2019 Ohio Valley Conference Tournament Championship. 
 
The title was the sixth for Southeast and first since 2006. With the victory, Southeast has earned an automatic qualification to the 2019 NCAA Division I Women's Volleyball Championship. The bracket will be announced on Sunday, Dec. 1 at 7:30 p.m., CT during the selection show on ESPNU.
 
SEMO has also matched the 2000 Redhawks that totaled 23 wins (23-9, 16-0 OVC).
 
"I can't put into words how excited I am for this team," head coach Julie Yankus said after the match. "This is a special group of young women who worked through adversity and responded to every challenge put in front of them. You never know how a team will handle the big moments and this team handled today with fight, grit, and determination. I am so happy for this team, especially our seniors. It's been an amazing ride and I wouldn't want to have taken this journey with anyone else."
 
"I want to thank [former Southeast volleyball coach] Cindy Gannon for her guidance and support and for paving the way for this program. It's perfect that this is the year she is also being inducted into the [Southeast Athletics] Hall of Fame. I also want to recognize all of the hard work [assistant coach] Loni Kreun has put in this year. She had to take on the role of both assistant coaches and she gave so much to this program over the last few months. I am so glad she could be a part of this amazing season."
 
Laney Malloy, Mikayla Kuhlmann and Claire Ochs were each named to the 2019 OVC All-Tournament Team. Ochs was selected as the tournament MVP.

The trio are the first Redhawks awarded OVC All-Tournament Team honors since Colleen Yarber garnered the distinction in 2012. 
 
Malloy led the Redhawks offense Saturday with 16 kills and 10 digs for the double-double on a .267. Kuhlmann chipped in 12 on a .417 hitting clip. Annie Wehrheim finished with seven kills (.300) and Maggie Adams had five kills and four total blocks.
 
Ochs dished out 32 assists with eight digs and five kills. 
 
Tara Beilsmith led the SEMO defense with a match-high 18 digs. 
 
The Redhawks opened the match with a 7-1 lead in the first set that grew to 14-6 after kills from Malloy and Ochs along with an Eagles attack error. 
 
Malloy added a kill to push the advantage to 17-13 before Morehead State went on a 4-0 run to pull ahead 19-18. 
 
Three straight points from the Redhawks brought on set point, 24-22.
 
Mia Swearingen and Olivia Lohmeier each notched kills to even the set at 24-24 before SEMO grabbed the frame with rally stoppers by Wehrheim and Malloy.
 
Malloy had eight kills alone in the first set.
 
Both the second and third sets were highly competitive and featured ties of 13 and 17, respectively. The Championship Final match totaled 36 ties and 13 lead changes.
 
SEMO connected at a .400 rate in the second set and finished the match with a .274 compared to MSU's .221. 
 
Bridget Bessler hit a kill to give the Eagles an 11-9 lead in the middle set before SEMO tied the frame five straight times. 
 
Down a point, 18-17, Southeast utilized a 7-0 run for set point, 24-18. Kuhlmann had three of her six second set kills during the stretch.
 
Swearingen posted a kill before Kuhlmann blasted a kill to clinch the set. 
 
The final set was another tight race to 10. Back-to-back kills by Lauren Rokey tied the frame at 9-9 before SEMO distanced themselves slightly from Morehead State with a 3-0 run, 12-9.
 
A kill from Wehrheim coupled with a block assist by Wehrheim and Berns made the score, 15-13. 
 
The Redhawks and Eagles exchanged the lead before a pair of kills by Hannah Keating knotted the set at 24-24 and 25-25. 
 
Malloy slammed a winner to push the advantage in favor of SEMO, 26-25, before Rokey retied it with a kill. Malloy paced SEMO in the final set with five rally stoppers.
 
SEMO then captured its first tournament championship since 2000 with consecutive MSU errors. 
 
The Redhawks out blocked the Eagles, 6-4.
 
Southeast had three service aces. Ally Dion paced the team with two to complement her 10 digs. 
 
Emily Boggetto finished with seven digs. 
 
Lohmeier led the Eagles with 16 kills and Bessler finished with 39 assists. 

The win was Southeast's 11th, 3-0 sweep in 2019 and second over Morehead State this season.
 
Southeast will next compete in the First Round of the 2019 NCAA Division I Women's Volleyball Championship on Thursday and Friday, Dec. 5-6.