JACKSONVILLE, Ala. – After falling 2-0 to Nicholls State in sets one and two, the Samford Volleyball team rallied with three-straight set wins to pull off a 3-2 comeback victory over the Colonels on Saturday.
 
With the win, the Bulldog's record improves to 4-5.
 
Lauren Deaton and Gracie Lynn Butler each logged a double-double for the Bulldogs. Deaton finished with 12 kills and a season-high 20 digs while Butler posted career highs with 17 kills and 13 digs.
 
Kenya McQuirter led the Bulldogs with 18 kills while Greer Golden added 11 and Kate Wonus recorded 10 with a .400 hitting percentage.
 
Setters Kayla Keshock and Samantha Horn both saw action in the contest and distributed 28 assists each. Horn, who entered the match in set three, also accounted for seven digs and a pair of kills in her collegiate debut.
 
Kate Morgan paced the team with 22 digs while Andie Salasky recorded 18 in the win.
 
The Colonels jumped out to a 10-3 lead in set one before the Bulldogs came surging back to get within two points at 15-13. Nicholls pulled away late to take a 22-16 lead and eventually claim the set.
 
The Bulldogs and Colonels stayed within two points of each other for the majority of set two. A kill by Deaton tied the match up at 24, but Nicholls would go on to take the final two points of the set.
 
Samford took advantage of a key 3-0 run to go up 11-8 and a 4-0 run to lead 17-15 in set three. The set would once again require extra points, but this time the Bulldogs scored points 25 and 26 to win the set.
 
The turning point in set four came on a critical 4-0 by the Bulldogs that put them up 24-17. A pair of service aces from Sarah Hayes Farley and a kill by Wonus helped account for the damage done over that span.
 
The Bulldogs orchestrated a timely 4-0 run in set five to go up 9-5, but the Colonels would answer with four-consecutive points later on to take an 11-10 lead. Samford put the exclamation point on the match however by scoring the next five points, with a pair of kills by McQuirter and one from Butler to lead the way and complete the comeback win.
 
Saturday's win marked the first time this season that five Bulldog's reached double-digit kill totals. Samford posted season-highs with 71 kills, 62 assists, and 94 digs.
 
Deaton upped her career kill total to 1,612 in the match. The senior outside hitter now sits just 28 kills shy of becoming the program's all-time leader.
 
The Bulldogs will return to action for their third and final game of the Gamecock Classic against host-institution Jacksonville State later this evening. First serve from Jacksonville, Ala. is set for 6:00 p.m. (CST).


 
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