Box Score BIRMINGHAM, Ala. ---- With Samford celebrating the careers of its four seniors, the Bulldogs battled for four sets with Furman for a crucial 3-1 win Friday night at the Pete Hanna Center.
 
Samford (20-10, 11-4 SoCon) limited a potent Furman (15-11, 11-4 SoCon) offense to a .199 hitting percentage with key plays after the 20-point mark ultimately making the difference.  The Bulldogs had three players with double-digit kills, led by Michaela Reesor with 19 while Katie Murphy (15) and Erin Bognar (14) were close behind.  Bognar added a season-high 11 digs for her second-straight double-double and her fourth overall this season.  Stephanie Palmer finished with 53 assists, more than the entire Furman team, and Chelsi Carter led all players with 28 digs.
 
The Paladins also had three players with at least 10 kills, led by Christina Dorismond with 12.  Annie Bierman earned a double-double with 10 kills and 13 digs while 2012 SoCon Freshman of the Year Jo Wilks led the team with 38 assists and three aces.
 
Furman's only lead in the opening set would happen on the first point, as they moved up 1-0 before Samford came back to lead 2-1 and would not give up the lead for the remainder of the set.  Samford would extend it to four points, 9-5, before Furman rallied to draw within one, down 9-8.  Four-straight points would give the Bulldogs back a five-point lead, which they would hold until the 20-point mark, leading 20-15.  A 5-1 run down the closing stretch would give Samford the 25-16 set win and an early 1-0 match lead.
 
Despite four tie scores, set two would remain in the Bulldogs' favor for its entirety.  After the second tie score of the match, 6-6, Samford would battle to hold a two-point lead over Furman, 12-10, before adding some cushion with a 4-0 run to make it 16-10.  Furman called a timeout trailing 19-13 and the momentum shifted back into their favor following the break, as the Paladins used a 7-1 run to tie the set back up at 20-20.  Later, tied at 21-21, Samford would use another late run to seal the set, winning 25-22 thanks to a pair of kills by Murphy and two Paladin attack errors as the Bulldogs took a 2-0 match lead into the locker room.
 
Eyeing a senior day sweep, Samford looked to close out the match in set three.  A long early run by Samford was answered by an equally long run by Furman, ending with the Bulldogs out in front by two, 13-11, at the midway point.  A kill by Furman's Andrea Fisher sparked a huge run for the Paladins, as they scored six unanswered points to pull ahead 18-13 for their first lead in the match since the opening point of set one.  A 3-1 Samford run would draw the Bulldogs back within three, trailing 19-16, but Furman shut the door with a 6-1 run to win the set, 25-17, and avoid the sweep.
 
Set four was the most tightly-contested of the match, seeing 13 tie scores and five lead changes.  Neither team could build anything more than a two-point lead in the opening half of the set with Samford finally pulling ahead 17-14 thanks to a kill by Reesor to force a Furman timeout.  The lead didn't last long, as it was quickly tied back up at 19-19.  A Furman error gave Samford the point and possession and quick kills by Murphy and Stephanie Palmer put the Bulldogs up 22-19 as Furman burned its last timeout.  The teams traded points and a kill by Murphy set up match point with the Bulldogs serving up 24-20.  With her fourth kill past the 20-point mark in set four, Murphy sealed it as the Bulldogs held on to win the set, 25-20, and the match, 3-1.
 
Samford concludes the 2013 regular season tomorrow night, facing Wofford (13-17, 7-8 SoCon) at 7 p.m. CT in the Pete Hanna Center.  With their win over Chattanooga Friday night, the Terriers clinched their first SoCon Tournament berth since 2006.