FULL MATCH NOTES (PDF)

VOLLEYBALL TRAVELS TO CHATTANOOGA, HOSTS FURMAN
Samford continues the SoCon season this weekend with one road and one home contest.  On Friday, Sept. 28, the Bulldogs make a quick trip north to face the Chattanooga Mocs at 7 p.m. ET.  The following night, Samford returns home as they host the Furman Paladins for a 6 p.m. CT match.

FREE STREAMING VIDEO ON SAMFORD SPORTS TV
Samford's match versus Furman 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
Chattanooga (7-10, 1-1 SoCon) - The Mocs are 7-10 to so far this season, splitting their first two SoCon contests.  They earned a 3-0 sweep over Appalachian State last Friday before falling 3-1 against Western Carolina the following afternoon.  They have performed well on their home court so far this season, as they hold a 6-1 record at Maclellan Gym.  Senior libero Paula Passmore has anchored their defense as she leads the SoCon in digs with  375, averaging 6.25 per set.  This past week, Passmore was named the SoCon Defensive Player of the Week after recording 57 digs.

Furman (12-4, 1-1 SoCon) - The Paladins have had a great start to the season, boasting the best overall record in the SoCon at 12-4.  That includes two wins over ACC opponents, as they defeated Clemson 3-1 and, most recently, swept Wake Forest 3-0 on Tuesday.  They split their first two SoCon contests, defeating Davidson 3-0 before falling 3-0 to Georgia Southern.  They lead the conference in hitting percentage at .272 while senior Natalie Braun leads the conference in kills with 223.  Freshman Jo Wilks leads the conference with 685 assists and has been named SoCon Freshman of the Week three times this season.

HISTORY LESSON
Samford is 19-9 all-time against Chattanooga, 7-1 since joining the SoCon in 2008.  The Bulldogs' only SoCon loss to the Mocs came in 2010, a 3-1 loss in Birmingham late in the season.  Six of Samford's seven wins in the SoCon series have been 3-0 sweeps, with Chattanooga taking one set in the teams' second meeting last season.

Furman holds the all-time edge over Samford, 11-3, though the teams have split six contests, 3-3, since Samford's inagural SoCon season of 2008.  That year, the Paladins knocked the Bulldogs out of the tournament with a tough five-set loss.  Samford would have to wait until 2011 to get postseason revenge.  After being swept at Furman in the second conference weekend of the season, the teams would meet again in the SoCon Tournament semifinals where the Bulldogs handed the Paladins a lopsided 3-0 sweep en route to a conference title.

SAMFORD IN THE SOCON RANKS
Team Stats
Hitting Percentage - 2nd - .253
Opponent Hitting Percentage - 1st - .173
Kills - 4th - 759 (13.55/set)
Assists - 3rd - 712 (12.71/set)
Aces - 2nd - 76 (1.36/set)

Individual Stats
Hitting Percentage
Lauren Hutchinson - 1st - .389
Katie Murphy - 6th - .326
Kills
Michaela Reesor - 6th - 180 (3.21/set)
Assists
Casey Garvey - 3rd - 582 (10.98/set)
Service Aces
Alexis Bauer - 4th - 21 (0.38/set)

HUTCHINSON EARNS SECOND CONSECUTIVE SOCON ACCOLADE
For the second consecutive week, Samford senior Lauren Hutchinson has been named the SoCon Offensive Player of the Week, announced by the conference office Monday.
 
The Kennesaw, Ga., native continued to impress over the conference's opening weekend, hitting an outstanding .639 behind 24 kills on 36 swings with only one error.  She led the team in kills and attack percentage against both opponents last weekend, helping guide the Bulldogs to 3-0 wins over Western Carolina and Appalachian State.  Samford is currently at the top of the North Division with a 2-0 conference record, 10-6 overall, and are riding a five-game winning streak.

Those two great performances improve her season hitting percentage to .389 and her kill total to 159.  She was named the SoCon Offensive Player of the Week last week after hitting .429 as the Bulldog Invitational MVP.  This is Samford's third straight weekly conference honor with Alexis Bauer as Defensive Player of the Week on Sept. 10 and Hutchinson's back-to-back awards.

EFFECIENT BULLDOG OFFENSE LEADS TO SOCON SWEEPS
Samford turned in two very strong performances in its opening weekend of SoCon play, downing Western Carolina and Appalachian State in straight sets.  The Bulldogs hit a combined .350 against its conference foes while limiting them to a combined .118 clip.  Samford's 51 kills against Appalachian State is the team's second-highest kill total in a three-set match so far this season.  Lauren Hutchinson led Samford in kills and hitting percentage in both matches, totaling 24 kills on 36 swings with only one error, good for a .639 hitting percentage.  Casey Garvey paced the offense with 71 assists, 11.8 per set, while four Bulldogs earned at least ten digs, led by Alexis Bauer with 34.

UP NEXT
Samford begins a four-game road trip with a pair of North Division matchups.  The Bulldogs head to Greensboro, N.C., on Friday, Oct. 5 to face the UNCG Spartans at 6 p.m. ET.  The following day, Samford faces the Elon Phoenix in Elon, N.C. at 7 p.m. ET.