Sept. 15, 2011
Full Release Notes 
SAMFORD WRAPS UP PRE-CONFERENCE PLAY
The Samford Bulldogs finish their pre-conference slate at the Bethune-Cookman Tournament in Daytona Beach, Fla. The Bulldogs will square off against four teams, first facing Savannah State (1 p.m. CT) and Stetson (5 p.m.) on Friday, Sept. 16 and then taking on Bethune-Cookman (8 a.m.) and Hampton (1 p.m.) the following day.
SCOUTING THE COMPETITION
Savannah State (0-9) - MEAC - The Savannah State Tigers have yet to win a set so far this season, losing nine consecutive matches 3-0.
Stetson (2-4) - Atlantic Sun - The Hatters went 0-3 beginning this season at the IUPUI Invitational, but took two of three at home hosting the Stetson Clarion Classic, defeating Bethune-Cookman and Savannah State.
Bethune-Cookman (4-6) - MEAC - The Wildcats only won two matches in their first seven games, but they rebounded at the Stetson Clarion Classic, defeating Savannah State and Wofford but falling to Stetson.
Hampton (1-5) - MEAC - The Pirates' only win so far this season came in a five-set thriller against North Carolina Central at the Hilton RTP/NCCU Tournament.
WEEKLY WRAP
The Samford Bulldogs went 2-1 against their toughest competition of the season so far at the Georgia Tech Tournament in Atlanta, Ga. The Bulldogs opened play against the Mercer Bears, earning a 3-0 victory behind a record-setting night by Katie Murphy (see below). Lauren Hutchinson led the team in kills (17) with Neisler not far behind (12), helping lead Samford to their best start, 8-0, in program history.
Their first loss of the season came in the following match against the Georgia Bulldogs, as Samford fell 3-1 in a very tight competition. Two of the four sets were only decided by the minimum two points, with the third set stretching as far as 30-28, the longest game for Samford so far this season.
Samford wasn't phased by the loss and bounced back well against a tough Georgia Tech team, winning 3-1 in the final match of the tournament. Offensive firepower won the game for the Bulldogs, as the Yellow Jackets had the edge in digs and blocks but still fell short. Multiple members of the Samford team were honored for their outstanding performances. Murphy and Hutchinson were named to the All-Tournament team, Alexis Bauer was named the Most Valuable Libero, and Neisler was named the overall Tournament MVP.
PLAYER HIGHLIGHT: Katie Murphy
A lot has changed since 1991. Three presidents, three Playstations, and countless iPod iterations later, however, the Samford record for attack percentage stood at .823, originally set by Dana Palmer on October 1, 1991. Middle Blocker Katie Murphy wasn't even two months old when the record was set, but now she sits at the top of that list after hitting .846 in the match against Mercer last Friday. Murphy has been a consistent force at the net so far this season, earning double-digit kills in eight of the team's 10 matches and tying for a team-high in blocks, earning nine in the win versus Arkansas State.
UP NEXT
Samford opens up conference play, traveling to Boone, N.C., to face Appalachian State on Saturday, Sept. 24 at 6 p.m. CT. The following day they head 150 miles away to Cullowhee, N.C., to play Western Carolina at 2 p.m.
