COOKEVILLE, Tenn. - The Samford volleyball team closed out play at the Golden Eagle Invitational. The Bulldogs faced hosts Tennessee Tech, falling behind 2-0 before rallying back to take the match in five sets (20-25,18-25,25-19,25-21,15-11). The win moves Samford's record to 4-4 on the season as they finish the weekend tournament with a 2-1 record.
It was almost a tale of two matches as Samford never led the home side in the opening two sets of play. Tennessee Tech outhit the Bulldogs in each of the opening two sets, as the Dogs especially struggled in the second, hitting just .094. Samford went deeper into their bench as they looked for a spark, but regular
Ally Cordes was leading the way as she finished with a season-high 22 kills.
In a preview of what will be a future Southern Conference battle, momentum flipped in the third set as Samford jumped out to a quick 10-4 lead and never looked back as they hit .552 in the third set to keep their match alive. Alongside Cordes,
Kaleigh Meritt had 15 kills for the Dogs as the duo led the Bulldogs all the way back from their 2-0 deficit. Samford captured a back-and-forth fourth set that saw five lead changes, 25-21.
Samford jumped out to a quick 5-2 lead in the abbreviated fifth set and never looked back. The Golden Eagles got within one point on multiple occasions, but the Bulldogs were able to end the TTU momentum on each occasion.
Greer Golden finished third on the Samford team with her seven kills, while setter
Shea Bruntmyer had 42 assists.
Emma Sorensen came up with a pair of clutch aces at the service line while three Dogs had double-digit digs, led by Cordes, who had 14.
The Bulldogs return home to the Pete Hanna Center next week as they host South Alabama, Auburn, and UAB beginning on Thursday, Sept. 18.
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