FULL MATCH NOTES (PDF)

BULLDOGS CONCLUDE PRECONFERENCE SLATE AT HOME
Samford concludes its preconference slate, hosting the Bulldog Invitational on Friday, Sept. 14 and Saturday, Sept. 15.  The Bulldogs welcome Alcorn State, Tennessee Tech and Gardner-Webb for six matches over two days.  Samford will play in three, opening up against Alcorn State at noon on Friday followed by Tennessee Tech at 7 p.m. on Friday and Gardner-Webb at 2 p.m. on Saturday afternoon.

FREE STREAMING VIDEO ON SAMFORD SPORTS TV
Samford's three matches this weekend will be live streamed for FREE through Samford Sports TV, as will the rest of the Bulldogs' home matches this season.  Head to samfordsports.com/showcase and click on the event.  Live stats are also available by heading to samfordsports.com/volleyball and clicking the link on the schedule page.

SCOUTING THE COMPETITION
Alcorn State (1-9, 0-0 SWAC) - The Braves are 1-9 to start the season, recently earning their first win of the year against Rust College on Sept. 8 at home.  They are now under the guidance of interim Head Coach Ashley Reed, who was previously a volunteer assistant.

Tennessee Tech (1-8, 0-0 OVC) - The Golden Eagles went 1-1 to start the season but have since dropped seven in a row, falling to 1-8.  They have not won a single set in any of their eight losses, as they have all been 3-0 sweeps.  Natalie Penrod is their offensive leader, as she leads the team in kills with 66, averaging 2.54 per set.  They return 12 players from last season, including all seven starters.

Gardner-Webb (2-10, 0-0 Big South) - The Runnin' Bulldogs are 2-10 on the season, recently snapping a nine-game losing streak with a midweek sweep over North Carolina A&T.  They are a young team as they have nine newcomers, eight of which are true freshmen.  Junior Tyler Cockrell leads their offense with 115 kills, a .285 clip and 40 blocks.  Samford and Gardner-Webb have played three times in program history, as Samford holds a perfect 3-0 record.

SAMFORD FALLS 3-1 TO TOUGH TIDE IN TUSCALOOSA
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 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.

Samford was down in the early portion of the opening frame but eventually came back to tie the match at 20-20 as the offense began to find a rhythm.  The Bulldogs would seal it down the stretch, eventually completing the comeback to win 25-23 and move ahead 1-0 in the match.  That would be the only set won for the Bulldogs however as the Crimson Tide took advantage of Samford miscues to win the next three sets and earn the 3-1 victory.

BAUER NAMED SOCON DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Samford senior Alexis Bauer was named the SoCon Defensive Player of the Week, announced by the conference office Monday.  It is her first weekly honor of the season and also the first for any Bulldog so far.
 
Bauer helped the team to a 4-0 record this past week thanks to 68 digs, averaging 5.23 per set.  She had double-digit digs in every match, including 20 in the 3-0 win over Georgia State Friday, her second-highest total of the season in any three-set match.  The Floyd Knobs, Ind., native also helped the offense thanks to eight service aces, two in each match, and 11 assists.

This season, Bauer became Samford's all-time career leader in digs.  She has 172 so far this season which brings her career total to 1,549, already 133 more than second place.  She owns the second and third highest single-season dig totals in school history with her 532 digs in 2011 and 442 in 2010.

UP NEXT
Samford begins conference play as they host SoCon North Division opponents Western Carolina and Appalachian State.  The Bulldogs play the Catamounts on Friday, Sept. 21 at 7 p.m. CT and then the Mountaineers on Saturday, Sept. 22 at 7 p.m. CT.