BIRMINGHAM, Ala. ---- Samford freshman Erin Bognar had a stellar collegiate debut weekend at the UAB/Samford Volleyball Challenge, and the Southern Conference recognized her performance by naming her the SoCon Freshman of the Week, announced Monday.
 
The St. Louis, Mo., native was the only Bulldog freshman to start all four matches last weekend.  She was second on the team with 36 kills, only trailing Michaela Reesor with 39, to go along with 21 digs, six block assists and three service aces.  Bognar's best performance of the weekend came in the 3-0 win over Mercer, where she led all players with 17 kills with only two errors on 29 swings for a .517 attack percentage.
 
It is Samford's first weekly conference award of the 2013 season and the first Freshman of the Week accolade since Reesor won it on Nov. 14, 2011.  Georgia Southern's Jamie DeRatt earned Offensive Player of the Week honors while Appalachian State's Meghan Mahoney was named the Defensive Player of the Week.
 
Bognar and the rest of the Bulldogs will head to Bartow Arena on Wednesday, Sept. 4 to take on the UAB Blazers (3-1) at 7 p.m. CT.  This weekend, Samford will head to Nashville, Tenn., for the Lipscomb Invitational where they will face South Alabama (10 a.m.) and Lipscomb (7:30 p.m.) on Friday, Sept. 6 and Jacksonville State (Noon) on Saturday, Sept.7.