Oct. 20, 2005

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. ---- The Samford University volleyball team will host a pair of Ohio Valley Conference matches this weekend, as it takes on the Eastern Illinois Panthers and the Southeast Missouri Redhawks.

The Bulldogs (7-15, 3-5) will play the Panthers (12-4, 8-0) on Friday night at 7 p.m., before hosting the Redhawks (9-12, 5-3) Saturday afternoon at 2 p.m. This marks the first time this season that Samford will face Eastern Illinois and Southeast Missouri. Both teams are ranked in the top half of the OVC, with EIU leading the entire conference.

"We have had a good week of practice and are coming off a big win over Belmont," Samford head coach Michelle Durban said. "I look forward to seeing how we react to playing two of the better teams in our conference."

Samford's thrilling five-game win broke Belmont's seven-match win streak on Tuesday night, and the team looks to snap another win streak on Friday night, as they attempt to hand EIU its first loss since Sept. 16. Eastern Illinois has been led by Megan Kenney's 199 kills and .309 attack percentage this season. OVC Defensive Player of the Week Maren Crabtree has tallied 239 digs and 740 assists this season, and Heather Redenbo leads the team in digs with 257.

Southeast Missouri is coming off a 3-1 win over Arkansas State. The Redhawks are averaging 14.0 kills per game and hitting .173. Additionally, Southeast Missouri is averaging 17.7 digs per game, with Lauren Scannell leading the way with 4.95 per game.

Samford currently averages 13.4 kills per game and an attack percentage of .160. Offensively, the Bulldogs have been led by Sara Sears's 3.64 kills per game and Angela Dempski's .225 attack percentage. Jackie Jaszcz has also led the team with 10.43 assists per game. Ashley Klare's 31 service aces also lead the team this season.

Defensively, Samford averages 14.2 digs per game, with Callaway Logan contributing 3.92 per game. Jen Powers has proved to be a blocking presence at the net, with 66 total blocks, including eight solo blocks. Dempski is right behind Powers, with 65 total blocks.

Samford will kick off the weekend on Friday at 7 p.m., when it plays host to Eastern Illinois. Fans in attendance will have the opportunity to win prizes from Qdoba Mexican Grill and CiCi's Pizza.