FULL WEEKEND NOTES (PDF)

VOLLEYBALL SET TO HOST ELON AND UNCG
Samford (12-9, 3-3 SoCon) returns home this weekend for a pair of SoCon matches, facing Elon on Friday, Oct. 18 at 7 p.m. and UNCG on Saturday, Oct. 19 at 7 p.m.

CAROLINE NEISLER TRIBUTE MATCH
During Saturday's match, Samford will pay tribute to former teammate Caroline Neisler, who passed away last May after a battle with Leukemia.  The team will be wearing commemorative orange jerseys, the color worn to represent Leukemia awareness.  The jerseys will be auctioned off following the match starting at $40 with all proceeds going towards the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society and local hospitals.  With any donation at the match, fans will also receive an orange wristband with "Caro-Strong" enscribed on it.

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
Elon (12-10, 3-3 SoCon) - The Phoenix find themselves in a four-way tie for third in the SoCon, holding a 3-3 conference record with two wins over the Citadel and one over Davidson.  Four of their six SoCon matches this season have come on the road, where Elon holds a 2-2 record in those matches.  The Phoenix are in the middle of the pack in most statistical categores, but are one of only two SoCon schools with over 100 service aces this season.  Junior middle blocker Kris Harris leads the team in that department with 25 aces while also sporting a team-leading .302 attack percentage and 198 kills, only trailing sophomore outside Megan Gravley with 211 kills.

UNCG (10-9, 3-3 SoCon) - The Spartans, like the Phoenix, find themselves stuck in a four-way tie for third place with an even 3-3 conference record.  UNCG has remained resilient in its losses, avoiding a sweep in all but three of their nine losses.  On the winning side, six of their ten wins have come in three sets, including their most-recent sweep over The Citadel on Oct. 12.  Offensively, the team is led by seniors Olivia Humphries with 221 kills and Morgan Freeman with 17 aces and 52 blocks, while sophomore Katherine Santiago leads the defense with 324 digs.

ALL-TIME VERSUS WEEKEND OPPONENTS
Samford holds an 8-3 all-time record against Elon, with all but one of those meetings coming as members of the Southern Conference.  Prior to joining the SoCon in 2008, Samford only played Elon once, where the Phoenix defeated the Bulldogs 3-1 at the UNC-Asheville Tournament in 2005.  Since, Samford has won eight of the last 10 meetings, including the last five-straight.  At home, Samford is 5-0 against Elon.

Samford is 8-2 all-time against UNCG, with all ten meetings coming as SoCon opponents.  UNCG's two wins came in 2008 and 2010, with Samford winning the past five-straight matches.  Despite the lopsided record, Samford's wins haven't been easy as UNCG has only been swept twice over those eight matches.  In Birmingham, Samford is 5-0 against UNCG.

'DOGS BACK ON TOP IN SOCON STAT RANKINGS
Heading into this weekend, Samford has climbed back on top of the most recent SoCon statistic rankings in the three main offensive categories.  Samford already led the league in hitting percentage (.249), but now also lead the SoCon in kills (993, 13.60/set) and assists (911, 12.48/set).  Ranking by pure totals, Samford trails Davidson (999) and Elon (1,011) in kills, but the Bulldogs have hit their total in significantly less sets (73) than Davidson (80) or Elon (93).

Individually, senior Katie Murphy remains the SoCon leader with a .391 hitting percentage and Michaela Reesor leads the league in kills with 276 (3.78/set).  Stephanie Palmer ranks third in assists (723, 10.48/set), but has also played in fewer sets than almost all of the other top-ten setters.

LAST TIME OUT: BULLDOGS BATTLE TO FOUR-SET WIN AT DAVIDSON
Coming off a tough loss Wednesday, Samford Volleyball rebounded in a big way with a solid road win over a tough Davidson squad Saturday night.
 
After falling in the opening set, Samford held on to beat Davidson in the following three, earning the win despite a .199 hitting percentage and seven service errors.  Katie Murphy led all players with 16 kills and a .414 hitting percentage, while Gabbi Greenwald provided a spark at the outside with 12 kills and 12 digs for her second double-double of the season while also adding three aces at the service line.  Chelsi Carter led all players with 16 digs while Stephanie Palmer did the same with 50 assists.
 
The home team had the early momentum, moving ahead 9-6 before Samford answered with four unanswered, capped by a block by Murphy and Greenwald to take a 10-9 lead.  Davidson immediately tied it back up at 10-10 but a 7-4 Bulldog run including aces by Chelsi Carter and Stephanie Palmer forced a Wildcat timeout as the Bulldog led 17-14.  Samford held onto the three-point, as Murphy and Reesor paired up for a block to make it 22-19 with Davidson burning its last timeout.  Davidson would respond with four unanswered, taking a 23-22 lead as Samford burned both its timeouts in the process.  A kill by Murphy tied it at 23-23 but back-to-back Bulldog errors would give Davidson the 25-23 comeback victory in the opening frame.
 
The teams traded the lead back and forth early in set two, as the largest lead was only two points after Davidson moved up 10-8.  The momentum quickly shifted back in the Bulldogs' favor, as Samford scored five in a row to move up 13-10 as Davidson took its first timeout.  Long rallies made for some hard-earned points in the middle of the match, but the Bulldogs remained resilient, hitting the 20-point mark up 20-14 as the Wildcats took their second timeout.  A 22-15 Samford lead was cut to 22-18 as the Bulldogs took a timeout, looking to halt the Wildcat run.  Three kills in the closing stretch by Greenwald would seal it for Samford as the Bulldogs won, 25-19, to even the match at 1-1.
 
Set three opened much like set two, only it was Samford who held the two-point lead up 10-8 this time.  Samford continued to extend its lead, slowly but surely, hitting the 20-point mark up 20-15.  The five-point lead held as a block by Murphy and Stephanie Palmer gave the Bulldogs set point, 24-19, and Murphy followed with a solo block to secure the 25-19 win and give Samford a 2-1 match lead.
 
Tied at 6-6 in set one, three Wildcat errors put the Bulldogs out in front, 9-6, as Davidson took a frustrated early timeout.  Errors continued to hurt the Wildcats' efforts, as the Bulldogs took advantage with a 4-1 run extending the lead to 13-7 as Davidson burned its last timeout.  Samford continued to roll, moving ahead 20-11 before the Wildcat offense found a spark, charging back with five unanswered points to cut the Bulldogs' lead to 20-16 as Samford took a timeout.  The Wildcats continued to claw back, eventually tying the set at 23-23 as the Bulldogs took their final timeout.  A bad set by Davidson gave Samford possession and match point, 24-23, and an ace by Greenwald sealed it as the Bulldogs held off the late Davidson push to win the set, 25-23, and the match, 3-1.

UP NEXT
Samford hits the road next weekend for a pair of SoCon matches.  First, Samford heads to Charleston, S.C., to face The Citadel on Friday, Oct. 25 at 6 p.m. ET before closing the weekend in Statesboro, Ga., against Georgia Southern on Saturday, Oct. 26 at 2 p.m. ET.