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BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- The Samford University volleyball team played its way to the NCAA Tournament for the third time in six seasons Monday as the Bulldogs defeated the Chattanooga Mocs, 3-1 ( 25-19, 20-25, 25-20, 25-22) in the championship match of the 2016 Southern Conference Tournament held at home in front of a raucous crowd at the Pete Hanna Center.
 
With the win, Samford (21-13) earned the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament, a feat that has also been achieved by the Bulldogs in both 2011 and 2014.
 
On Sunday at 8 p.m. (CST), the NCAA Selection Show will be broadcast live on ESPNU and Samford will find out where it's heading for the first round of competition.
 
The Bulldogs defeated Chattanooga (19-13) for the third time this season Monday. Samford also finished its 2016 campaign with a head-turning 14-2 record when playing in the Pete Hanna Center, including eight straight to end the season.
 
Samford's Erin Bognar was named the SoCon Tournament Most Valuable Player after she finished the championship match with 28 kills and 16 digs. The Bulldogs' dominant senior outside hitter from St. Louis, Missouri, also tallied a hitting percentage of .333.
 
In the first set, Samford jumped out to an early 5-0 lead in front of its largest home crowd of the 2016 season. The Bulldogs' opening spurt featured kills from Bognar (1), Gabbi Greenwald (3) and Kate Neisler (1).
 
A kill from Kristy Wieser out of the break got Chattanooga on the board and initiated a 16-10 run for the Mocs, giving the Mocs a lead in the middle of the opening frame. Samford went on to score eight of the last nine points of the set, seven of which came consecutively, to take an early 1-0 lead. Bognar tallied 11 kills on 22 attempts to lead all players in set No. 1.
 
The Mocs were able to rally for a 25-20 win in the second frame as the teams entered intermission tied at 1-1.
 
Both teams exchanged points to open the second set and remained close the whole way with neither team possessing more than a two-point advantage until Chattanooga freshman middle blocker Dani Szczepanski pummeled the ball on a pass from setter Madison Bergren, who recorded 12 assists in the second frame, to give the Mocs a 21-18 lead, prompting a Samford timeout.
 
The Mocs went on to even the score, 1-1, heading into the 10-minute after back-to-back errors by Neisler and Bognar. With UTC junior setter Lauren Greenspoon behind the serving line, the Mocs were able to capitalize on a pass from sophomore libero Lindsey Farrell, setting up Bergren for the kill to claim the point and set.
 
Coming out of the break, Bognar notched her 16th kill of the match with a tip over a pair of Mocs on the front line to get the Samford crowd energized.
 
The third set was separated by no more than one-point until the Bulldogs tallied five straight points to take a 15-10 lead over the Mocs. Chattanooga cut the lead to two, 16-14, after three consecutive scores, but the Bulldogs' margin was too much to overcome as Samford took the set, 25-20, and the lead heading into the fourth set.
 
After three sets played, the Bulldogs had three players with double-digit kills in Bognar (19), Greenwald (11) and Neisler (10). Wieser and Szczepanski led the Mocs with nine each.
 
The Mocs opened the fourth frame with a pair of kills from Wieser and Miranda Elpers, both of which were assisted from Bergren. The Bulldogs responded by connecting on eight of the next nine points to give Samford an 8-3 cushion.
 
Chattanooga responded with a run of their own later in the fourth set, going on a 10-2 run to take a 20-17 lead. Then Bognar and Neisler took over the set to eventually seal the championship for the Bulldogs. Samford took eight of the last 10 points with Bognar and Neisler combining for five points.
 
The Bulldogs claimed the final five points of the championship match before piling on the court in celebration with the scoreboard reading 25-22 in favor of Samford.
 
Monday's high-energy, fast-paced contest consisted of 29 ties and 14 lead changes. Both teams competed at a championship level, but it was the determined Bulldogs that closed out the match with victories of 25-20 and 25-22 in sets No. 3 and 4, respectively.
 
Exactly five years ago Monday, Samford also earned the championship title of the SoCon Tournament in front of its home fans when the Bulldogs blanked College of Charleston, 3-0, at the Pete Hanna Center.
 
Samford finished Monday's championship victory with four players with double-digit kills. Bognar paced the squad with a game-high 28, while Neisler added 14 and Greenwald blasted 12. The Bulldogs' true freshman Kelsi Hobbs also turned in a brilliant performance in the title match with 11 kills and five block assists.
 
Senior setter Erika Pifer registered a game-high 32 assists, while sophomore Taylor Anderton added 22 assists and 16 digs for a double-double.
 
Samford's Neisler led the squad with 17 digs and earned SoCon All-Tournament honors. She was joined on the prestigious postseason team by teammates Greenwald and Bognar.
 
True freshman Grace Tiesman and senior Mattie Newson both finished with 10 digs apiece.
 
Samford head coach Keylor Chan has accumulated a 21-13 record in his first season with the Bulldogs and earned a trip to the NCAA Tournament. Samford will find out its opening-round destination Sunday at 8 p.m. (CST).
 
For quick score updates, breaking news and links to all of your favorite articles featuring the Bulldogs, please follow @SamfordVB and @Samford_Sports on Twitter.

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