Volleyball Drops Home Opener to Evansville

Friday, September 1

Birmingham, AL

7:00 PM

Samford University

2-2,0-0SoCon

Evansville

3-1,0-0MVC

Team	1	2	3	4	Final F
Evansville	22	25	25	25	3
Samford	25	21	20	20	1

9.1.23 | Women's Volleyball

Box Score Photo Gallery

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The Samford Volleyball team fell 3-1 to the Evansville Purple Aces on Friday evening in its 2023 home opener.

With the loss, the Bulldogs drop to 2-2 overall while the Aces improve to 3-1.

Gracie Lynn Butler led the Bulldog attack with a game-high 19 kills while Kayla Keshock logged her first double-double of the 2023 season with an 11-kill, 10-dig effort. Kaleigh Meritt accounted for 10 kills while Lexi Thatcher posted a team-high 35 assists.

On the defensive side, Kate Morgan led a group of four Bulldogs that finished in double digits in digs with 16. Amelia Johnston, Thatcher, and Keshock all added 10 each.

With the score reading 10-10 in set one, the Bulldogs used a 5-1 run to create separation and take a 15-11 lead. A block assist recorded by both Greer Golden and Gracie Lynn Butler gave the Bulldogs their largest lead of the set at 22-17 before eventually claiming in 25-22. Butler, Meritt, and Kayla Keshock all recorded a set-high three kills for Samford in the opening salvo.

The Bulldogs jumped out to a 5-0 lead in set two but would see it slip away after an 8-1 run by Evansville put them up 11-8. The Aces built their lead to 16-11 but the Bulldogs fought back to trim their deficit to just 21-19 following an ace by Audrey O'Brien. Evansville reclaimed momentum by scoring the next three points before eventually claiming the set, 25-21.

The Aces never trailed in set three, jumping out to an 8-2 lead that eventually turned into a 22-13 advantage. The Bulldogs used the momentum of a 5-0 run to trim their deficit to 23-19 but the Aces eventually put the set away, 25-20.

In set four, the Aces created momentum by rattling off a 5-0 run that put them up 9-2. Samford fought its way back with a 3-0 that trimmed the score to 20-16 in favor of Evansville, but the Aces traded off points with the Bulldogs the rest of the way to take the fourth set 25-20 and claim the match.

Despite hitting .353 in set one, the Bulldogs finished the night with a .160 hitting percentage. Evansville hit .272 for the evening.

The Bulldogs will return to action on Sunday, Sept. 3 when they host North Alabama at 2:00 p.m. from the Pete Hanna Center.

FOLLOW THE BULLDOGS:
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).