Aug. 26, 2005

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - The Samford volleyball team will open the 2005 season in the Trojan Spiketacular, hosted by Troy University on Saturday. The Bulldogs will play a match against the University of North Florida, and another against Troy in the tournament.

"This will be North Florida's second Division I match, so they will be very excited about playing at the Division I level," Samford Head Coach Michelle Durban said. "They are a very quick, and ball control-oriented team, so our team will definitely face a team that is a little faster and probably a little smaller than what we are used to seeing.

"Troy is as young as we are, they have six freshmen coming in as well, so it could be a very evenly-matched match," Durban said. "It is going to be exciting for our team to be able to get out and play against someone else."

Samford enters the season with six newcomers to a team that finished 5-21 last season, Durban's first as the Bulldogs' head coach.

"We have been impressed so far with what the six freshmen have brought to the table," Durban said. "For tomorrow, there could be the butterflies, or there could be the extreme excitement. When you have six freshmen, you're not really sure about what you are going to get. Hopefully, after the first ball is served, everything will calm down and they will realize that it is still just the game of volleyball."

Samford will take on North Florida at 1:00 p.m. Saturday, and then the Bulldogs will play Troy at 7:00 p.m. Samford's first home match is scheduled for Sept. 6, when the Bulldogs play host to UAB. The match is set to begin at 7:00 p.m. at Seibert Hall.