Women's Volleyball 8.24.23

Volleyball Begins Season at Tiger Brawl in Memphis

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The Samford Volleyball team will begin its 2023 campaign with a trio of contests this weekend at The Tiger Brawl hosted by the University of Memphis.

The Bulldogs will play a pair of games on Friday, Aug. 25, taking on Miami University (Ohio) at 10:00 a.m. and Memphis at 7:00 p.m. They will face off with Alcorn State on Saturday, Aug. 26 to close out the weekend.

The Bulldogs are coming off a 2022 season that saw them capture their third Southern Conference Tournament title in four years and fifth in seven years under Head Coach Keylor Chan. Samford finished the year with a 19-13 overall record and a mark of 11-5 to post a second-place finish in the SoCon Regular-Season standings.

Samford led the SoCon in hitting percentage (.227), assists per set (12.26), and kills per set (13. 69) in 2022 and was the only team in the league to log 200 or more service aces (226). The Bulldogs also finished the 2022 season ranked seventh in the country with an average of 1.93 aces per set. They totaled 226 aces, good enough for eighth-most in the nation.

The Bulldogs were picked to finish second in the 2023 Southern Conference Volleyball Preseason Coaches Poll announced on Aug. 16. Juniors Gracie Lynn Butler and Kate Morgan were named to the Preseason All-SoCon squad after both being named to the 2022 All-SoCon Second Team as sophomores in 2022.

Butler's 2.92 kills per set last season ranked seventh in the SoCon and leads all Samford returners. Morgan, the 2022 conference Libero of the Year, finished second in the league in both digs per set (4.44) and service aces (49).

Middle blockers Greer Golden and Kate Wonus will look to build on a rock-solid 2022 season. Golden, a 2022 SoCon All-Freshman honoree, ranked third in the SoCon in hitting percentage last year (.310) while Wonus ranked fifth (.296).

Senior Kayla Keshock and sophomore Samantha Horn split setting duties as the season progressed last year. Keshock, who also led the SoCon with 53 aces, ranked fifth in the conference with a pace of 8.36 assists per set.

Friday's game against Miami will be the Bulldogs' first encounter with the Redhawks. Samford holds a record of 2-2 against Memphis and 1-0 against Alcorn State. The Bulldogs topped the Tigers 3-1 in both 2008 and 2009 while sweeping Alcorn State in 2012.

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For the latest news and information on Samford Volleyball, visit the official website for Samford Athletics at SamfordSports.com. Fans can also follow the Bulldogs on social media at @SamfordSports (Facebook), @SamfordVB (Instagram), and @SamfordVB (Twitter).

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Players Mentioned

#15 Gracie Lynn Butler: OH; 6' 1"; Junior

#14 Greer Golden: MB; 6' 2"; Sophomore

#2 Samantha Horn: S; 5' 10"; Sophomore

#9 Kayla Keshock: S; 6' 1"; Senior

#7 Kate Morgan: DS/L; 5' 10"; Junior

#10 Kate Wonus: MB; 6' 0"; Senior

Players Mentioned

#15 Gracie Lynn Butler
: 6' 1"; Junior
: OH

#14 Greer Golden
: 6' 2"; Sophomore
: MB

#2 Samantha Horn
: 5' 10"; Sophomore
: S

#9 Kayla Keshock
: 6' 1"; Senior
: S

#7 Kate Morgan
: 5' 10"; Junior
: DS/L

#10 Kate Wonus
: 6' 0"; Senior
: MB

Samford University Athletics

Players Mentioned

Players Mentioned