FULL 2013 VOLLEYBALL SCHEDULE

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. ---- A preseason tournament at the Pete Hanna Center and eight home conference matches highlight the 2013 Samford Volleyball schedule, announced Wednesday.
 
Samford will host a tournament to open the season, welcoming Mercer, Presbyterian and Georgia State to the Pete Hanna Center for two days of matches on Friday, Aug. 30 and Saturday, Aug. 31.  On Wednesday, Sept. 4 the Bulldogs will head to Bartow Arena to take on intra-city rival UAB in a midweek match.  The next three weekends, Samford will head to Lipscomb (Sept. 6-7), Kennesaw State (Sept. 13-14) and Missouri (Sept. 20-21) for three tournaments that will close out the pre-conference schedule.
 
“We will have a lot of new faces this summer and fall,” said Head Coach Derek Schroeder, “and we will use the preseason schedule to acclimate our young team to college volleyball with an eye on success during the conference season.”
 
In SoCon play, Samford has won four of the last five North Division titles but will not get a chance to defend the Division title in 2013.  With the departure of the College of Charleston from the SoCon next season, the remaining 11 teams will play an altered conference schedule without the previous North and South Division alignments.  Samford will play a total of 16 conference matches facing Wofford, Furman, Western Carolina, Appalachian State, Chattanooga and Davidson twice while playing Elon, UNCG, The Citadel and Georgia Southern only once.
 
Despite losing many everyday starters to graduation, the Bulldogs retain a strong core heading into the 2013 season.  Samford is the only team that returns its 2012 First Team All-Conference honoree, as Michaela Reesor looks to continue her dominant play in her junior season.  Second Team All-SoCon honoree Katie Murphy and defensive standouts Chelsi Carter and Taylor Chao will also provide a strong core of talent and leadership to an otherwise young group.
 
Click HERE for the full schedule.