Box Score
Samford Stats

MACON, Ga. -- The red-hot Samford University volleyball team extended its winning streak to five-consecutive matches Saturday as the Bulldogs cruised to a 3-0 road victory against the Mercer Bears in a pivotal Southern Conference contest held at Hawkins Arena.
 
Samford (17-10, 8-4 SoCon) has not been defeated since Oct. 15, and has outscored its opponents by a lopsided total of 15-1 in the Bulldogs' last five matches. Since coming up short at Wofford on Oct. 15, Samford has rolled to consecutive victories against Chattanooga, 3-0, Western Carolina, 3-0, Furman, 3-1, The Citadel, 3-0, and Mercer (12-11, 4-7 SoCon), 3-0.
 
So far this season, the Bulldogs boast a dominant 10-2 record at home, but have also been impressive on the road as of late. In its last three road matches, Samford has compiled three straight shutout victories at Chattanooga, The Citadel and Mercer.
 
With Saturday's triumph, the Bulldogs improved their all-time record against Mercer to 35-7. Samford has squared off against the Bears 42 times in its history, making the series the Bulldogs' third most common rivalry of all-time. The only teams that Samford has played more often in its history than the Bears are Jacksonville State (47 times) and Troy (45 times).
 
The Bulldogs turned in a .302 attacking percentage Saturday and rolled to quick victories over Mercer in sets No. 1, 25-22, and No. 2, 25-15.
 
In a back-and-forth third stanza, the Bears held a three-point lead late in the set, but Samford rallied from behind to garner the eventual 26-24 triumph to clinch the match.
 
Senior Erin Bognar and sophomore Katie Neisler both proved to be impressive for the Bulldogs with double-digit kill performances against Mercer.
 
Bognar paced Samford with 15 kills (.303), while Neisler added 11 (.391) and only committed two attack errors. True freshman Kelsi Hobbs added nine kills of her own Saturday as the Hoover, Alabama native finished the match with a team-best .533 attacking percentage.
 
Senior setter Erika Pifer looked sharp against Mercer and posted 24 assist for the Bulldogs. Sophomore Taylor Anderton added 14 assists, while also registering four digs in Samford's straight-set victory over the Bears.
 
Defensively, true freshman Grace Tiesman recorded a match-high 10 digs as the Bulldogs also finished with three blocks as a team.
 
The Samford University volleyball team will next be in action Friday at 5 p.m. (CDT) as the Bulldogs continue their four-match SoCon road swing at ETSU for another key league matchup to be held in Johnson City, Tennessee. Additionally, Samford will play on the road at Furman on Nov. 5, at 4 p.m.
 
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Box Score
Samford Stats