Dec. 2, 2011

Full Release Notes

SAMFORD HEADS TO TALLAHASSEE FOR NCAA TOURNAMENT
The Samford Bulldogs will be competing in the NCAA Tournament for the first time in school history as they face Big East Tournament Champion Cincinnati on Friday, Dec. 2 at 4:30 p.m. ET in Talahassee, Fla. If Samford wins Friday, they will face the winner of the Florida State vs. Albany match for a chance to move on to the Sweet 16 in Minneapolis, Minn. The four teams competing in Talahassee all won their respective regular season or tournament conference championship.

SCOUTING THE COMPETITION
Cincinnati (26-9, 12-2 Big East) - The Bearcats finished with the best overall record in the Big East this season and also won the Big East Tournament with a 3-0 win over Notre Dame. The Bearcats have won 13 of their last 14 matches, losing their first home match since 2007 with a five-set loss to Ohio on Nov. 25. The team leads the Big East in kills with 1,596 (13.53 per set) and their offense is led by junior middle blocker Jordanne Scott with 438 kills (3.48 per set) and a .321 hitting percentage. The team ranks second in the Big East in assists (1,488, 12.61 per set) with freshman setter Caylin Mahoney also ranking second individually with 1,292 (10.95 per set).

Florida State (24-6, 18-2 ACC) - The Seminoles will serve as host for this four-team portion of the bracket, after earning the No. 12 seed in the tournament field. The Noles clinched an automatic bid after winning the Atlantic Coast Conference for the second time in three years. This will be their third consecutive time in the NCAA Championship and their second time hosting during that stretch. Their offense is led by senior outside hitter Jekaterina Stepanova with 352 kills (3.26 per set), while sophomore middle blocker Ashley Neff leads the ACC in blocks with 175. The Seminoles also sport three players on their roster listed at 6'4" or taller.

Albany (21-8, 11-1 America East) - The Great Danes won their conference's automatic NCAA bid after earning the program's sixth league title. The team sports the America East setter of the year, senior Brooke Stanley, and the defensive specialist of the year, senior Laurie Gonzalez. Stanley is averaging a conference-best 10.97 assists per set and leads the team with 33 service aces, while Gonzalez leads the defense with 5.33 digs per set. Albany comes into the tournament on a ten-match win streak, suffering their last loss way back on Oct. 14 at New Hampshire.

BULLDOGS WIN THE SOCON TOURNAMENT
After a hard-fought 3-1 win over Davidson in the opening round, Samford charged through Furman and the College of Charleston, defeating each in straight sets to earn their first ever conference championship in front of a home crowd of over 1,000 people. The Bulldogs became the first SoCon team to win the tournament title on their home court since 1991, only the third ever in the conference. The title makes it the winningest season in Samford history, as they are currently 29-4 heading into the NCAA Tournament. Alexis Bauer was named the Tournament MVP, anchoring the Bulldogs' defense with 53 digs in ten sets over the weekend. Elizabeth Neisler and Katie Murphy were also named to the All-Tournament team as they combined for 22 of the team's 41 kills in Monday's championship match.

SAMFORD CONFERENCE HONORS
SoCon Tournament MVP - Alexis Bauer
All-Tournament Team - Alexis Bauer, Elizabeth Neisler, Katie Murphy
SoCon Player of the Year - Elizabeth Neisler
First Team All-Conference - Elizabeth Neisler, Lauren Hutchinson
Second Team All-Conference - Katie Murphy
Freshman All-Conference - Michaela Reesor

SAMFORD IN THE NCAA RANKS
Team Stats (322 Ranked)
Hitting Percentage - 3rd - .294
Match W/L Percentage - 5th - .879
Kills Per Set - 10th - 14.47
Assists Per Set - 21st - 13.21

Individual Stats (250 Ranked)
Hitting Percentage
Lauren Hutchinson - 1st - .437
Katie Murphy - 2nd - .431
Assists Per Set
Casey Garvey - 2nd - 12.13
Kills Per Set
Elizabeth Neisler - 51st - 3.95
Point Per Set
Elizabeth Neisler - 62nd - 4.40

SAMFORD IN THE SOCON RANKS
Team Stats
Hitting Percentage - 1st - .294
Kills Pet Set - 1st - 14.47
Opponent Hitting Percentage - 1st - .168
Service Aces Per Set - 2nd - 1.41
Assists Per Set - 2nd - 13.21
Blocks Per Set - 2nd - 2.08

Individual Stats
Hitting Percentage
Lauren Hutchinson - 1st - .437
Katie Murphy - 2nd - .431
Kills
Elizabeth Neisler - 1st - 3.95/set
Lauren Hutchinson - 5th - 3.27/set
Assists
Casey Garvey - 1st - 12.13/set
Service Aces
Chelsi Carter - 5th - 0.33/set

SOCON QUARTERFINALS: SAMFORD 3, DAVIDSON 1
Samford played in the fourth and final match in the SoCon Tournament Quarterfinals and earned a 3-1 victory over the No. 4 South seed Davidson to move on to Sunday's semifinal round. Four sets all ended in 25-22 scores, with Samford and Davidson splitting the first two and the Bulldogs taking three and four. Each team had plenty of offensive power, with each team seeing four individuals in double-digit kills. Lauren Hutchinson led all players with 18 kills and 20.5 points, hitting .485 (18/2/33). The squads countered with stellar defense as each team had four players in double-digit digs, with Davidson holding the slight edge, 78-77. Samford's Alexis Bauer led all players with 20. Casey Garvey tallied 58 assists for the third game in a row, adding 11 digs for her seventh double-double of the season.

SOCON SEMIFINALS: SAMFORD 3, FURMAN 0
The Samford Bulldogs swept the No. 2 South seed Furman Sunday, Nov. 20 advancing to a conference championship match for the first time in school history. Samford won each set by at least five points, limiting Furman to a .184 hitting percentage. SoCon Player of the Year Elizabeth Neisler led all players with 16 kills and a career-best .652 percentage, only committing one error in 23 attacks. Katie Murphy wasn't far behind Neisler, hitting .562 with 9 kills and no errors in 16 attacks. Alexis Bauer led all players in digs for the second match in a row, tallying 21 of the team's 46. The Bulldogs out-blocked the Paladins 9-1 in team blocks, as all four of Samford's front line players earned at least two blocks each. Natalie Braun was the Paladins' standout performer, earning a triple-double with 10 kills, 13 assists and 14 digs.

SOCON CHAMPIONSHIP: SAMFORD 3, COLLEGE OF CHARLESTON 0
Samford volleyball completed its winningest season on Monday, Nov. 21 earning the SoCon Championship on their home floor with a 3-0 sweep over the College of Charleston to earn an automatic bid to the NCAA Championships. In front of over 1,000 fans, Samford moved its record to 29-4 behind an explosive offense and a rock-solid defense, led by Tournament MVP Alexis Bauer. Outside hitter Elizabeth Neisler and middle blocker Katie Murphy also represent the Bulldogs on the All-Tournament team, combining for 22 kills in Sunday's match. It is the third straight year that the SoCon Championship has been won by a score of 3-0.

For the second game in a row, Samford's offense was extremely efficient, earning 41 kills and only committing seven errors, hitting .405 as a team. The College of Charleston offense struggled, hitting .176 as a team and committing 20 errors. Samford's front four only committed five combined errors, with Neisler leading the team in kills (13) and Lauren Hutchinson hitting a team-leading .571 (9/1/14). Casey Garvey's 36 assists gives her the single-season record at Samford, earning 1,383 so far this season. Bauer led the team in digs with 12 and Hutchinson earned two of the team's five blocks. Charleston's Sloane White led all players with 15 kills, hitting .500. Emily Shelton was the Cougars' digs leader (7) and Kallie McKown paced their offense with 25 assists.

UP NEXT
The winner of the four-team Tallahassee bracket moves on to Minneapolis, Minn., as part of the Sweet 16 Regionals beginning Dec. 9.