April 9, 2009
2009 Fall Schedule
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. ---- The Samford University volleyball team released its 2009 fall schedule Thursday and the slate features a home tournament on opening weekend followed by 11 straight preseason tournament matches on the road before the Bulldogs begin their second season of play in the Southern Conference.
"This schedule is more challenging than last year's putting Samford volleyball up against four NCAA Tournament teams and a string of 11 straight preseason matches on the road," Samford head coach Derek Schroeder. "This will be a great challenge for a young 2009 Bulldog squad that lost five seniors from last year."
Samford lost five seniors at the end of the 2008 season but has picked up five newcomers to fill those vacancies. Although, the Bulldogs played with a much older team last season, several young players got a lot of experience, including All-Freshman team selection Rachel Gadberry and first team All-SoCon selection Hillary Fountain.
"Scheduling was tough this year with a team that will be retooling at all three pin positions," Schroeder said. "We will return most of our serving and passing weapons but will replace both outsides and our right side in the starting lineup. Our hope is that starting at home in August and then playing a progressively stronger preseason schedule will help this young team find their identity and help our team dynamic blossom."
The defending North Division champion will open the 2009 season with its annual home tournament, August 28-29. The two-day event will feature a familiar foe in Tennessee State along with 2006 Samford Invitational participant Louisiana-Monroe and Southern Miss, a team Samford has not faced since 2001.
The Bulldogs will then hit the road for three consecutive weeks, beginning in the Music City, Sept. 4-5, at the Belmont Tournament where they will meet up with Weber State and Central Arkansas along with the Bruins. Belmont has been an almost annual opponent for Samford while Weber State and Central Arkansas will be new foes for the Bulldogs. The Bruins will be the first NCAA Tournament team Samford will see in the season.
From there, Samford will go to Troy for a midweek matchup on Sept. 8. The Bulldogs will then head to Dayton, Ohio, Sept, 11-12, to participate in the Dayton Flyer Classic. There they will meet their second NCAA Tournament team in Dayton along with Connecticut and Creighton.
Samford will wrap up preseason play with the Memphis Invitational, Sept. 18-19, where it will face its third NCAA Tournament team, UAB. The Bulldogs will also participate in the tournament with UNO and Arkansas-Little Rock along with the Tigers and Blazers.
The Southern Conference season begins at home for the Bulldogs as they host five straight matches in the Pete Hanna Center. UNC Greensboro and Elon are up first, Sept. 26-27. Samford ended the season with these two teams in 2008. The Bulldogs will then welcome Chattanooga onto their territory Sept. 30 before hosting Davidson on Oct. 4.
Oct. 10-11 finds the Bulldogs on the road at Appalachian State and Western Carolina before returning home the next weekend to host The Citadel and College of Charleston.
Samford then heads out on a five-match road trip beginning with Chattanooga on Oct. 21 and ending with Elon and UNC Greensboro (Oct. 31-Nov. 1) with stops at Wofford and Furman in between (Oct. 24-25). This will be the first trip for the Bulldogs to Wofford and only the second meeting between the two teams.
The Bulldogs will celebrate their seniors, Nov. 7-8, when they host their final home weekend with conference foes Appalachian State and Western Carolina. Samford will make one more stop at Georgia Southern on Nov. 14
The Southern Conference Tournament will begin play on Nov. 20 and conclude on Nov. 22 at the campus of the regular-season champion.
