BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The Samford Volleyball team will take to the road this weekend for Southern Conference matches at The Citadel on Friday and UNC Greensboro on Saturday.
Friday's tilt at The Citadel will begin at 5:00 p.m. (CST) and Saturday's game at UNCG will start at 4:00 p.m. (CST).
The Bulldogs went 1-1 over a pair of home SoCon matches last week, falling in five sets to Mercer on Thursday and salvaging the week with a 3-0 sweep over Chattanooga on Friday evening.
Despite falling to the Bears, the Bulldogs set season-highs in kills (65), assists (61), and digs (78) in the five-set thriller. Samford posted strong offensive numbers against the Mocs, hitting .279 for the match.
Kaleigh Meritt (34) and
Gracie Lynn Butler (32) accounted for 61 percent of the Bulldogs' kills last week, with Meritt setting a career-high with 22 kills and 16 digs against Mercer. Butler logged a pair of double-doubles last week, recording 19 kills and 14 digs against Mercer and 13 kills and 16 digs against Chattanooga.
Both Butler and Meritt rank in the top five in the SoCon in total kills, with Butler (324) sitting second and Meritt ranking fifth (222). Butler comes into the week ranking 10th in the country with 324 total kills and an average of 4.50 kills per set.
Freshman
Ally Cordes has burst onto the scene over the Bulldogs' last four games, totaling 36 kills and a pace of three kills per set that ranks third on the team.
Middle blockers
Kate Wonus (.284) and
Greer Golden (.282) rank seventh and ninth in the SoCon in hitting percentage while junior libero
Kate Morgan sits sixth in the league with 277 digs. Freshman setter
Lexi Thatcher comes into the weekend ranking third in the league with a pace of 8.92 assists per set.
The Bulldogs hold a 22-9 advantage over UNCG, having won the last four matches and eight of the last 11. They bested the Spartans 3-0 earlier this season in their SoCon opener on Friday, Sept. 22.
Samford is 23-5 against The Citadel all time and has also won two of its last against them. The Bulldogs will look to avenge a 3-0 home loss to The Citadel that took place on Saturday, Sept. 23 earlier this season.
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