Sept. 25, 2009
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. ---- The Samford University volleyball team opens the Southern Conference season at home this weekend as they play host to UNC Greensboro and Elon on Saturday and Sunday. Both matches will begin at 2 p.m.
Samford (6-7) comes off the heels of a weekend in which it went 3-1 at the Memphis Tiger Invitational. After losing their seventh consecutive match on the season to UNO on Friday night, the Bulldogs put together three straight wins against Memphis, UALR and UAB to take second in the Tiger Invitational. Freshman libero Alexis Bauer and senior middle blocker Sheriden Stangohr were named to the All-Tournament team.
"Losing six in a row was not an indication of weakness in the program as much as it was a measuring stick of our maturation as a young team," Samford head coach Derek Schroeder said. "We were not focused on `snapping a losing streak' as much as we were on getting better every week and every match we played. Staying that course and not panicking was what allowed us to turn the corner and win three in a row last weekend against some good teams and a cross-town rival."
Now, the Bulldogs jump head first into league play with a three-match home stand beginning with UNC Greensboro and Elon this weekend.
"We are all excited to start league play and as much to play another match at home," Schroeder said. "There really is nothing more to expect than to see a focused, alert, determined team on the floor. If we play every point as hard and focused as we can, the results will take care of themselves."
The preseason No. 1-picked Bulldogs are lead by freshman Allie Bettinger who boasts 3.21 kills per set and 1.74 digs per set. Stangohr also shares the lead as she is ranked 17th nationally in blocks per set with 1.43. She also has posted 170.0 points for the Bulldogs so far this season. Hillary Fountain leads the offense at setter with 8.35 assists per set and is second on the team in digs with 2.28. Bauer leads the back row defense with 3.85 digs per set while also serving up 0.26 aces per set.
UNC Greensboro enters the weekend tied for third place in the North division with Samford. Last weekend, the Spartans hosted their UNCG Tournament at Fleming Gym and went 2-1 in the event, falling to Georgetown before sweeping La Salle and winning a five-set match with North Carolina State.
Last year was the first time that the two teams had met in program history. Each team walked away with a win, Samford at home and UNC Greensboro at home. So far this season, UNCG is 1-3 on the road.
The Spartans are led by Catherine Hanners who boasts 2.90 kills per set and 3.65 digs per set. She is flanked by Caley Redden who has posted 2.23 kills per set. Emily Lindborg leads her team in hitting with a.272 average while Kayleigh Knerr leads the defense with 4.06 digs per set. Ari Lysacek averages 9.69 assists per set while Kayren Finney has 1.00 block per set.
Elon (12-1) comes into Samford in the top position in the North division. The Phoenix have only lost one match so far this season, a five-set match to Georgia State last weekend at the Phoenix Classic. Elon won 11 straight to open the season.
Samford leads the series with Elon, 2-1. The first meeting between the two teams was in 2005 at the UNC-Asheville Tournament when Elon defeated Samford, 3-1. The Bulldogs then won both meetings last season, a 3-1 victory at home and a sweep at Elon to close out the season.
The Phoenix are led by Traci Stewart and Lauren Copenhagen who both average well over 2.00 kill per set. Emily Regan runs the offense at setter averaging 8.18 assists per set while Ali Deatsch leads the back row with 3.28 digs per set.
"UNCG returns a large portion of its starters from 2008 and Elon returns all of its," Schroeder said. "Both these teams will be hungry to knock off the preseason number one and start their conference play. We will need to play tough-minded and make plays when we need to. Hopefully home court can pull us through some of those situations."
After this weekend, Samford will host Chattanooga on Wednesday. However, both of Samford's weekend opponents must meet Chattanooga this weekend. The Mocs are currently in second place in the league standings, sandwiched between first place Elon and third place UNC Greensboro and Samford.
"What we may be talking about next week is Chattanooga and not just because we play them on Wedensday," Schroeder said. "Right now, the buzz is UNCG and Elon coming to Samford, but both those teams have to play Chattanooga this weekend too. It would be a mistake for us to forget about them."
Both matches begin at 2 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. Admission is free for all home events. A full recap and results will be available on www.samfordsports.com upon the completion of each match.
