Samford University Athletics

The 2011 Samford volleyball team, led by head coach Dex Schroeder, won the program’s first Southern Conference Tournament championship and earned the first NCAA Tournament bid in program history. The Bulldogs finished the season with a school-record 29 wins, posting an overall record of 29-4, including a 13-3 mark in SoCon play, winning the league’s North Division championship. Samford defeated Davidson, 3-1, in the first round of the SoCon Tournament, held in the Pete Hanna Center. The Bulldogs then swept Furman, 3-0 in the semifinals. In the championship match, Samford swept College of Charleston, 3-0, to bring the program its first title. Elizabeth Neisler was named the SoCon Player of the Year and she was joined on the All-SoCon team by Lauren Hutchinson and Katie Murphy. In the NCAA Tournament, the Bulldogs took on Cincinnati, pushing the Bearcats to a fifth set, falling, 3-2.