FULL MATCH NOTES (PDF)

BULLDOGS OPEN SOCON PLAY AGAINST NORTH DIVISION RIVALS
Samford opens conference play at home this weekend as they welcome North Division opponents Western Carolina and Appalachian State.  The Bulldogs face the Catamounts on Friday, Sept. 21 at 7 p.m. CT and the Mountaineers on Saturday, Sept. 22 at 7 p.m. CT.

FREE STREAMING VIDEO ON SAMFORD SPORTS TV
Samford's 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
Western Carolina (4-11, 0-0 SoCon) - The Catamounts are 4-11 to start the season, recently snapping a four-game losing streak with a 3-0 sweep over Gardner-Webb on Tuesday.  Their offensive leader is sophomore outside hitter Caitlin Piechota, who has 149 kills and a .243 hitting percentage.  Head Coach Karen Glover enters her second year at the helm after winning SoCon Coach of the Year honors in her first season for guiding the Catamounts to their highest overall and conference win totals since 2003 and their first SoCon Tournament appearance in five years.

Appalachian State (4-10, 0-0 SoCon) - After losing five starters from last year's SoCon semifinal squad, the Mountaineers have struggled out of the gate in 2012 with a 4-10 record.  They went 0-5 to start the season but have since gone 4-5.  Sophomore transfer Dalton Tolliver leads the offense with 130 kills while the team's lone senior, Courtney Rhein, leads the defense with 235 digs.

HISTORY LESSON
Samford is 11-4 all-time against Western Carolina but is a perfect 8-0 against the Catamounts since joining the SoCon in 2008.  In SoCon play, Samford has defeated Western Carolina by a combined score of 24-3, sweeping them in five of those eight contests.

Samford has faced Appalachian State eight times since joining the SoCon and the Mountaineers hold the slight 5-3 advantage in the all-time standings.  Samford went 3-1 in their first four meetings but have since dropped the last four to Appalachian State.  In 2011, Samford's loss to Appalachian State on senior day was the Bulldogs' only home loss all season.

SAMFORD IN THE SOCON RANKS
Team Stats
Hitting Percentage - 2nd - .241
Opponent Hitting Percentage - 4th - .180
Kills - 3rd - 13.34/set
Assists - 2nd - 12.52/set
Aces - 5th - 1.30/set

Individual Stats
Hitting Percentage
Lauren Hutchinson - 3rd - .357
Katie Murphy - 4th - .342
Kills
Michaela Reesor - 6th - 3.22/set
Assists
Casey Garvey - 3rd - 10.87/set
Aces
Alexis Bauer - 4th - 0.38/set


STRONG WEEKEND EARNS HUTCHINSON WEEKLY SOCON HONOR
Lauren Hutchinson was named this week's SoCon Offensive Player of the Week after helping the Bulldogs to a 3-1 record last week, improving their overall record to 8-6 heading into conference play.
 
“About two weeks ago, Lauren was very frustrated with her volleyball production,” said Head Coach Derek Schroeder.  “She took ownership of her situation, made changes and created a plan to succeed.  I am so happy when my players make these choices, but I'm even happier when they are recognized by the conference.
 
“Lauren is very deserving this week for her hard work and dedication!”
 
Hutchinson led the team in kills last week with 39 and earned a stellar .429 hitting percentage with only six errors in 77 total attacks.  In Friday's match against Alcorn State, she set a single-match school record in hitting percentage at a scorching .857 clip behind 12 kills on 14 swings and no errors.  For her efforts over the weekend, she was named the Bulldog Invitational MVP.
 
The Kennesaw, Ga., native has hit over .300 in ten of Samford's 14 matches this season, exceeding .400 in five matches, two of which came in the last week.  She is averaging 2.70 kills per set and 5.66 attacks per set.  Last year she set a Samford single-season record for hitting percentage at .428, a statistic that led the nation for the majority of the season.  She was a 2012 Preseason All-Conference Selection after earning First Team conference honors last season and AVCA Honorable Mention All-American recognition as well.
 
It is Hutchinson's first weekly honor of the 2012 season and Samford's second, after Alexis Bauer earned the defensive award last week.  The other conference honors this week are the College of Charleston's Emily Shelton on defense and Georgia Southern's Alexandra Beecher as the freshman of the week.

SAMFORD CLOSES OUT PRESEASON WITH THREE HOME SWEEPS
Samford closed out the preconference slate hosting the Bulldog Invitational, where they earned a second-consecutive perfect weekend by sweeping Alcorn State, Tennesse Tech and Gardner-Webb.  The Bulldog offense was stellar, hitting a combined .367 over the three matches and averaging just under 13 kills per set.  Samford limited all three oppponents to negative hitting percentages while outscoring them by an average of 15 points per set.  Samford's set two win over Alcorn State, 25-5, is the most decisive one so far this season for the Bulldogs.

UP NEXT
Samford will make a quick trip up to Chattanooga, Tennessee to face the Mocs on Friday, Sept. 28 at 7 p.m. ET before returning home to face Furman on Saturday, Sept. 29 at 6 p.m. CT.