BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The Samford volleyball team will play its home openers when the Bulldogs host Western Carolina Sunday at 4 p.m. and Monday at 6 p.m. at the Pete Hanna Center.
Samford enters the weekend with a record of 1-1. The Bulldogs are coming off a weekend split at Mercer last week. Western Carolina has a mark of 1-3 overall and 1-1 in SoCon play. The Catamounts split a pair of matches at The Citadel last week.
THE RUN DOWN
Opponent: vs. Western Carolina (1-3, 1-1 SoCon)
Dates: Feb. 7 and 8, 2021
Site: Birmingham, Ala. (Pete Hanna Center)
Time: 4 p.m. (Feb. 7), 6 p.m. (Feb. 8)
TV: ESPN+: Click Here-Sunday,
Click Here-Monday
Live Stats: Click Here-Sunday,
Click Here-Monday
SERIES HISTORY
- Samford and Western Carolina have met 32 previous times, with Samford owning a 25-7 advantage in the series.
- Last season, Samford picked up a pair of wins over the Catamounts, earning a 3-2 win in Birmingham, and a 3-0 victory in Cullowhee, N.C.
- Samford has won the last seven meetings in the series.
FOCAL POINT
- Samford looks to get its home season off to a strong start this weekend. Samford was 10-1 in home matches last season, and the Bulldogs are 38-13 in the Pete Hanna Center under head coach Keylor Chan.
BULLDOGS TO WATCH
- Junior Lauren Deaton led Samford in its opening week, tallying a combined 42 kills and 17 digs in two matches at Mercer.
- After leading the SoCon in assists during the 2019 season, Corinne Meglic tallied 75 assists in the first two matches of the 2021 season.
- After missing the 2019 season with an injury, redshirt freshman Kenya McQuirter accumulated 18 kills over her first two collegiate matches, tallying nine in each contest.
NEWS & NOTES
- Samford junior Lauren Deaton was named the Southern Conference's Offensive Player of the Week on Tuesday. She had 18 kills and six digs in the season-opening win at Mercer last Sunday. She then had 24 kills and 11 digs in Monday's 3-1 loss to the Bears.
- Entering Sunday's match, Samford has won 12 of its last 13 matches in the friendly confines of the Pete Hanna Center.
- This season, due to COVID-19 concerns, Samford will play only Southern Conference matches, playing each team on back-to-back days (Sundays and Mondays) at the same site.
