Box Score TUSCALOOSA, Ala. ---- Samford faced a tough Alabama team Tuesday in Tuscaloosa, as the Bulldogs took the first set but dropped the final three as the Crimson Tide came back to win 3-1.
 
Samford (5-6) was plagued by errors throughout the match, as they hit .167 as a team with 14 service errors.  Lauren Hutchinson and Elizabeth Neisler earned double-digit kills with 11 and 10, respectively, with Hutchinson earning a .360 clip.  Alexis Bauer led the defense with 15 digs while Michaela Reesor was close behind with 14.
 
Alabama (11-1) struggled in the opening set but the offense performed well for the remainder of the match, hitting .328 with three players earning double-digit kills.
 
Early errors hurt Samford in the opening frame, as Alabama went off to a quick 5-0 start without scoring one kill.  Samford began to close the gap, but errors continued to cost them as they were forced to regroup with a timeout, down 14-10, following a blocking error.  The Samford offense began to find a rhythm later in the set, eventually tying the match up at 20-20 thanks to back-to-back service aces by Michaela Reesor.  The Samford offense continued to impress, as they completed the comeback with a hard kill by Elizabeth Neisler to win set one, 25-23.
 
Errors plagued Samford again early in set two, as Alabama managed to build a 10-5 lead.  The Crimson Tide continued to stretch the lead, moving ahead 16-9 as the Bulldogs took a timeout.  Alabama maintained the seven-point difference, up 23-16, and knocked in two quick kills to even the match up with a 25-16 win in set two.
 
The teams traded points back-and-forth to open set three. The Crimson Tide began to gather a bit of momentum when, tied at 7-7, they went on a 4-0 run to move up 11-7.  Alabama eventually stretched the lead to nine, up 19-10, and looked to close out the set with three consecutive points to move up 22-10.  Samford would score three more points but the lead proved too large to overcome, as Alabama eventually won 25-13 to pull ahead 2-1 in the match.
 
The home team held the early momentum in set four, building an 8-4 lead followed by three-consecutive points to move up 11-4 and force a Samford timeout.  The Crimson Tide continued to roll out of the break, tallying three more quick points to build a ten-point lead, up 14-4.  Alabama reached the 20-point mark first, up 20-9, as they eventually reached match point up 24-12.  Samford staved them off, scoring two in a row, but Alabama eventually won the set, 25-14, to win the match 3-1.
 
Samford wraps up its preconference slate this weekend, hosting the Bulldog Invitational.  Samford will play three matches during the tournament, starting on Friday, Sept. 14 against Alcorn State (noon) and Tennessee Tech (7 p.m.) and concluding on Saturday, Sept. 15 against Gardner-Webb (2 p.m.).