Box Score LOUISVILLE, Ky. ---- After a tough opening weekend in Miami, Samford volleyball rebounded in a big way with a convincing sweep over Marshall in the opening match of the Cardinal Classic in Louisville, Ky.
 
Samford (1-3) found a strong rhythm thanks to a steady offensive attack, as the Bulldogs held the 47-25 edge in kills, limiting the opponent to a .027 hitting percentage.  Michaela Reesor led Samford in kills with 14 to go along with nine digs.  Elizabeth Neisler also earned double-digit kills, tallying 12, while Chelsi Carter, Taylor Chao and Alexis Bauer all earned double-digit digs.  Freshman Emily Meitz made her Bulldog debut, earning three kills and four block assists. 
 
“We gutted out the third set and managed a great win,” said Head Coach Derek Schroeder.  “Michaela, Alexis and Chelsi were excellent in serve receive.”
 
It is only Samford's second win in program history over any current member of the Big East, their first since defeating South Florida in 2008.  Marshall (3-1) struggled offensively, though Laura Der led all players with 16 kills.
 
The Bulldogs jumped ahead early in the first set, building a 9-6 lead before going on a 5-0 run to stretch the lead even further to 14-6.  A handful of Bulldog errors helped the Thundering Herd to draw a bit closer, as Samford called a timeout with a 15-11 lead.  Samford had a six-point lead, up 19-13, but a kill and back-to-back Marshall service aces forced the Bulldogs to regroup with another timeout.  Up 22-20 late, Samford rallied to knock in three in a row with Louisville native Casey Garvey earning the final point of the frame to give the Bulldogs the 25-20 win.
 
Samford had another fast start to begin set two, jumping ahead to a 6-1 lead, forcing an early Marshall timeout.  The Bulldog offense continued its steady pace, building as much as a ten-point lead, up 17-7.  A 7-4 run put the Bulldogs in position to seal the frame and it was Garvey who again earned the 25th point, giving Samford its most decisive set victory so far this season, 25-11.
 
The action was more even in the early stage of set three, with the teams tied at 8-8.  Samford began to build some momentum, moving up 11-9 as Marshall called a timeout.  The teams traded points evenly for the majority of the set, with neither side taking more than a two-point lead.  Tied at 24-24, Garvey knocked in the 25th point and Neisler slammed one home to seal the 26-24 set-three win and the sweep for the Bulldogs.
 
Samford continues action at the Cardinal Classic tomorrow, as they will face Duke (3-0) at 1:30 p.m. ET and host team Louisville (3-1) at 7:30 p.m. ET.