Nov. 9, 2010

One could venture to say that Samantha Bland was destined to play volleyball. She was born into it. Her parents even met playing the sport.

The Chicago, Ill., native was the typical sports kid. She played every sport under the sun, but eventually volleyball won out through the years. She started playing volleyball in the sixth grade and club volleyball in the seventh grade, on top of the sports she had been playing for years. However, by the time she got to Downers Grove High School, she had narrowed it down to one sport. She went with her instinct - volleyball. After all, it was in her blood.

Bland was a late bloomer in volleyball, resulting in a late commitment to Samford. She had a fair number of Division II and Division III schools knocking on her door, but Bland had her heart set on playing Division I volleyball.

Her decision came down to two schools - Samford and Lipscomb - and she set off on a road trip to the South to visit both. However, the charm of Alabama and the overwhelming acceptance of the Samford team and family captured Bland's heart and she knew without a doubt that this was where she would spend the next four years of her life.

"I was actually supposed to go on a visit to Lipscomb the next day (after the visit to Samford) and I called the coach and told him that I wasn't coming, that I was going to Samford," Bland said. "I think I made a good decision, looking back on this program and seeing how it's changed. It's been a really great experience."

As a freshman, Bland was an immediate contributor to the Bulldogs scheme as a defensive specialist. She played in every match and grabbed six double-doubles that year. She marked her career highs that year with 17 kills against McNeese State (Sept. 1, 2007) and 19 digs at Austin Peay (Oct. 16, 2007). She also ended the season second on the team in aces (33) and third on the team in digs (2.84 dps).

That year, the Bulldogs finished the season with Samford's first-ever winning record, upsetting the Ohio Valley Conference's top-ranked team, Morehead State, in their first match at the Pete Hanna Center. They also ushered in a new era of Samford volleyball as they said goodbye to the OVC and hello to the Southern Conference.

The next year, Samford head coach Derek Schroeder took over the reins of the Samford volleyball program. The edition of Samford volleyball kicked off the season with a 3-0 upset of Auburn on the road while enjoying an undefeated record at home. The Bulldogs also captured their first-ever conference division title. Individually, Bland played in every match, starting all but five. One of her highlights that year was serving up a career-high six aces in the quarterfinal match against Davidson at the SoCon Tournament.

The following season, the Bulldogs saw their share of ups and downs. Bland's season was plagued with injuries but she still played in 18 matches, starting six, and the Bulldogs still managed to come out on top with their second division championship.

Bland and her fellow classmates will leave Samford as the first class to have posted three (maybe four) winning seasons in their careers as Bulldogs. They will also be the first class in a while who came in together and leave together.

Bland says that her parents have been the most influential people in her life. Through them, she has seen the fruits of hard work and now strives to be just like that.

"They've worked so hard," Bland said. "My mom went to school at night and now she's a nurse. She paid for all of her college. My dad started his own business. They've worked so hard to do so much for our family and that just inspires me to work hard and not be lazy."

Bland's family is a close-knit group. The older of two girls, Bland spoke fondly of her family and with a smile, recounting the fun they have together.

"We are an adventure family," Bland said. "We used to go to every national park in the entire country."

She recalled being woken up at dawn by her father to go on a 10-mile hike, and earning brownie points for being the only one who actually went. They climbed a cliff so high that the further up you went, there were chains to hold onto so you wouldn't fall off. She told of a time in Maine when she was so bored, she swam across a two-mile lake with her father paddling in a canoe beside her.

And for her college graduation and her sister's high school graduation this year, the Bland clan plans to take a rafting trip through the Grand Canyon.

Although, Bland is anxious to get back home to Chicago, she says that Samford and the South will always be special to her.

"I'm a Northern girl deep down," Bland said, "but it's been a real cool experience coming to a completely different culture and hearing Southern accents and being in SEC country where everyone is crazy about Auburn or Alabama. I'll end up missing it more than I think."

As far as her future goes, Bland is hoping to get a dietetic internship for next year. The internship is the next step on the path of becoming a registered dietician. She said her dream job would be to be a sports dietician at a big college.

As she prepares to play the final match of her collegiate career, Bland heralds the Bulldog volleyball program and gives advice to future Bulldogs.

"We have a special program," Bland said. "Dex and the staff are really close to us and we have a fun atmosphere. They allow us to have the balance between school and volleyball, and they give us time on our own. We work hard on the court all the time, but we still have time to work hard off the court too.

"To future student-athletes, I'd say, it gets hard but take it day by day. If you look at it in advance, you get stressed out. So take it a day at a time, work hard and don't stress. It will all work out in the end."

Schroeder also spoke fondly of this senior class. He counts himself lucky to have inherited players like Bland when he took the job three years ago.

"Sam is another one of those special athletes that you often find at a place like Samford," Schroeder said. "She is willing to do whatever job she is asked to do in order to help the team. Sam's team-first demeanor will pay dividends exponentially in her future."

Bland and the rest of the Bulldog team's hopes of a third-straight North Division title this year are a distant memory, but Samford has secured a spot in the SoCon Tournament. Now, they can focus on finishing out the regular season on a high note and look ahead to fighting for a tournament championship.