Box Score
Samford Stats

GREENVILLE, S.C. -- The Samford University volleyball team suffered a hard-fought 3-1 defeat at the hands of the Furman Paladins on Saturday as the Bulldogs moved to 3-8 on the road this season following a Southern Conference duel held in front of 378 fans at Alley Gymnasium.
 
Samford (17-12, 8-6 SoCon) put up a fight in all four sets Saturday as two of the three Furman (10-16, 6-8 SoCon) frames were won by the minimum of two points, the first and last of which were forced beyond the 25-point win mark. The Paladins' set victories came by totals of 28-26 (1), 25-20 (3) and 26-24 (4).
 
The Bulldogs won the second set, 25-23, as Samford evened the score of the match at 1-1 heading into the locker room.
 
Samford finished its arduous weekend road trip with an 0-2 record. The Bulldogs lost at first-place ETSU on Friday, 3-0, before traveling to face the hard-nosed Paladins.
 
Senior outside hitter Erin Bognar registered a match-high 34 kills Saturday and only committed five errors to post a sizzling .414 hitting percentage. The Bulldogs' back-to-back and reigning SoCon Offensive Player of the Week also tallied a double-double with an additional 11 digs. Bognar added two blocks and a pair of assists.
 
Samford's Kate Neisler nearly accumulated a double-double of her own Saturday as she finished the match with 12 kills and seven digs.
 
Additionally, the Bulldogs' two-headed set machine comprised of senior Erika Pifer and sophomore Taylor Anderton compiled a combined total of 60 assists, 30 for each player. Anderton also added seven digs, while Pifer finished with three.
 
True freshman Grace Tiesman paced Samford's defense with 16 digs. The Bulldogs also received a noteworthy effort from senior defensive specialist Mattie Newson, who finished with 14 key digs against Furman.
 
In a hard-fought, back-and-forth contest Saturday, there were a total of 49 ties and 17 lead changes. Exactly two weeks ago, Samford handed the Paladins a 3-1 loss held at the Pete Hanna Center in Birmingham, Alabama, on Oct. 22.
 
The 2016 SoCon Tournament will be held on Samford's home court where the Bulldogs own a stellar 10-2 record this year.
 
The Samford University volleyball team will next be in action Wednesday at 5:30 p.m. (CST) as the Bulldogs return home to the Pete Hanna Center for a critical late-season SoCon matchup against the Wofford Terriers. The game will mark the beginning of a two-match, regular-season ending homestand for Samford in Birmingham, Alabama.
 
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Box Score
Samford Stats