Samford vs. UNCG  |  Friday, Oct. 27  |  7:00 p.m. (CT)  |  Video  |  Live Stats
Samford vs. Western Carolina  |  Saturday, Oct. 28  |  7:00 p.m. (CT)  |  Video  |  Live Stats

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- The Samford University volleyball team will begin play in an important four-match Southern Conference homestand Friday at 7 p.m. (CT) as the Bulldogs square off against the UNCG Spartans in a critical late-season showdown to be held at the Pete Hanna Center.
 
Samford (10-14, 5-5 SoCon) enters the contest with a full head of steam after the Bulldogs posted a key 3-1 victory at The Citadel on Saturday. In the win, Samford finished with three players earning double-digit kills. Shayla Phillip turned in a brilliant performance with 13 kills and jaw-dropping .455 hitting percentage, while Krista Boesing added 13 kills of her own and Kelsi Hobbs chipped in with 10.
 
Hobbs, Samford's sophomore native of Hoover, registered a double-double in Saturday's victory. To go along with her 10 kills, she also added 13 digs.
 
Fellow sophomore Grace Tiesman paced Samford with 14 digs in the contest, while junior Taylor Anderton moved back to her primary role as the Bulldogs' setter en route to a match-high 32 assists. Anderton also posted 13 digs in helping to lead Samford to its critical road victory Saturday.
 
The Bulldogs currently own a 3-5 record at home this season and have posted wins against Mercer, 3-1, Wofford, 3-1, and Southeastern Louisiana, 3-0.
 
Samford's Boesing enters Friday's contest ranked No. 11 in the nation in kills with 379. She is also ranked No. 15 in the country in points (412.5).
 
Earlier this season, the Bulldogs rallied for a huge 3-2 road triumph against UNCG (12-10, 5-5 SoCon). In the back-and-forth contest, Samford rallied late to defeat the Spartans, 3-2 (25-23, 23-25, 25-14, 25-27, 16-14), in an epic five-set thriller held in Fleming Gym.
 
The Bulldogs took the first set by a score of 25-23, but then the Spartans returned the favor in the second frame, 25-23.
 
Samford cruised to a 25-14 win the third stanza and came one point away from winning the match in the fourth set before UNCG rallied late to take the frame, 27-25.
 
The Bulldogs trailed early in the decisive fifth set against the Spartans, but then rallied back when it counted to even the match at 14-14 and eventually put the contest away with the 16-14 triumph.
 
Samford's Boesing led four Bulldogs in double-digit kills with 19, while Phillip and Kendal Strand both added 13 apiece. Hobbs also reached the double-digit kill plateau with 12 on 41 total attacks. Phillip turned in a blistering .417 hitting percentage in the victory.
 
On Saturday, the Bulldogs will play host to Western Carolina (8-15, 3-7 SoCon) at 7 p.m. (CT) in the Pete Hanna Center. As of Friday, the Catamounts were riding a wave of positive momentum following a 3-2 home triumph against ETSU on ESPN3. Western Carolina's victory snapped a seven-match losing streak.
 
In an early SoCon-season matchup held Sept. 29, Samford started the Catamounts' seven-game slide by defeating Western Carolina in Cullowhee, North Carolina, 3-0. Four Bulldogs earned double-digit kills in the pivotal win held at the Ramsey Center.
 
Samford was paced by Hobbs with a game-high 17 kills, while Boesing followed closely with 16. The Bulldogs also received momentous double-digit kill performances from Phillip and Strand, who tallied 11 and 10, respectively.
 
Following this weekend's pair of home matches against UNCG and Western Carolina, the Samford University volleyball team will next be in action Nov. 3 at 7 p.m. (CT) as the Bulldogs continue their current four-match SoCon homestand against the ETSU Buccaneers.
 
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Samford vs. UNCG  |  Friday, Oct. 27  |  7:00 p.m. (CT)  |  Video  |  Live Stats
Samford vs. Western Carolina  |  Saturday, Oct. 28  |  7:00 p.m. (CT)  |  Video  |  Live Stats