BIRMINGHAM, Alabama – It took five sets and two grueling hours for the Samford University volleyball team to put away East Tennessee State University 3-2 on Friday, Oct. 24, inside the Pete Hanna Center. Senior Michaela Reesor posted 22 kills on 46 attempts (.326) along with 10 digs to will the Bulldogs to a victory.

Samford willed its way to a 15-13 victory in the fifth set to put away a feisty ETSU squad. Reesor notched five of the teams 10 kills in the set to extend the Bulldogs win streak out to 11 games and remain undefeated in SoCon play.

The Bulldogs (15-7, 9-0 SoCon) started the match with complete control over the Buccaneers (11-14, 5-4 SoCon) and took the first set 25-17. SU blasted 17 kills and sported a .464 hitting percentage in the set while ETSU only managed put down six kills of their own.

Samford continued to run its offense effectively in the second set as Reesor notched seven kills of the teams 15 kills.

The Buccaneers turned the tide coming out of the intermission and while they faced a 2-0 deficit to the Bulldogs they didn't back down. ETSU rallied to take the first set outright 25-21; SU managed to tie the set five times but never held the lead.

ETSU continued to build on its momentum from the third set and SU battled hard but the Buccaneers were too much yet again as they took the set 25-18. The Bulldogs managed to tie the set at one point late 17-17 but after an ETSU timeout the Buccaneers rallied on an 8-1 to close out.

Sophomore Erin Bognar stepped up in a big way as she slammed down 18 kills (.325), a service ace, and five digs in the match. Sophomore Erika Pifer tallied 58 assists and senior libero Chelsi Carter zipped three more service aces to go along with a team-high 18 digs.

Junior Emily Meitz contributed 11 kills and a team-high four blocks in the match.

The Bulldogs are back in action Saturday, Oct. 25, at 2 p.m. again UNCG inside the Pete Hanna Center. The match will be available via live video stream on the SoCon Digital Network.