Samford Tops Furman, 3-1, to Claim SoCon Title

GREENSBORO, N.C. – No. 2 seed Samford (20-12) defeated No. 1 seed Furman (23-7) to claim the 2014 SoCon Volleyball Championship at Fleming Gym on the campus of UNCG on Monday evening. The Bulldogs rallied late in the fourth set to win the match, 20-25, 25-22, 25-20, 28-26.

Samford will learn its postseason draw on Sunday, November 30 at 8:30 p.m., when the NCAA selection show airs on ESPNU. The Bulldogs will make their first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2011.

All-Tournament players Michaela Reesor and Erin Bognar led the Bulldogs with 20 kills apiece, while both also recorded double-figure digs to record double-doubles. Tournament MVP and senior Chelsi Carter recorded a match-high 21 digs for the Bulldogs.

Furman was led by All-Tournament players Andrea Fisher and Ashton Gregory in the match. Fisher recorded 13 kills and 13 digs, while Gregory put down 10 kills and 10 blocks. Four different Paladins recorded double-digit digs in the contest and Furman tallied 15.0 blocks as a team.

The first set saw Furman jump out to a quick 6-1 lead, forcing Samford to use a timeout. The Bulldogs would pull the set to a tie at 7-7, thanks in part to two service aces from Carter. The Paladins would back to a three-point lead at 12-9 with a service ace of their own and extended it to 17-11.

Samford took four of the next five points in set one to cut it to 18-15 and force a Furman timeout. Samford was able to put pressure on the Paladins, cutting the score to 21-19, but an Amelia Bohlander kill would prove to squash a potential Bulldog run and push the lead to 22-19. Furman would then win the final three points of the set to take it 25-20. Furman totaled three blocks in the frame, which proved key to hold Samford to a .161 hitting percentage.

Samford got a quick start in set two, taking an 8-3 lead and forcing a Furman timeout. The Paladins later countered, though, with four straight points to cut it to 11-8. From there, Furman was able to pull within two multiple times in the set but was unable to even the score at any point.

The Paladins made a late charge to cut the lead to 23-21 late in set two but Samford claimed it, 25-22, after two Paladins errors. Samford was strong offensively in the frame, compiling a .382 hitting percentage with 17 kills on 34 attempts and four errors.

In set three, Samford eased out to a 4-0 lead but Furman immediately answered and tied the set at 4-4.

The teams matched one another until Samford took a 12-9 lead following a Reesor kill. The Bulldogs would then take four of the next five points to extend the gap to 16-10.

The Paladins struggled to close the gap but were finally able to cut the lead to three at 20-17, after back-to-back kills from Gregory. Samford withstood the Furman charge, though, and went on to take the set 25-20.

Furman edged its way to an early 7-4 lead in the fourth period before making it 10-5 to force a Samford timeout. The lead would remain steady for much of the set until Samford was able to rally for four straight points and cut it to 18-16.

Furman’s Fisher then came through in a big way, though, earning a kill on a long rally that led to a 4-0 Paladin run to put them up 22-16. However, Samford came charging back with an 8-2 run to tie the frame at 24-24 and then take the lead on the next point. The Bulldogs would find a way to take the fourth set 28-26 to claim the 2014 SoCon Championship.

All-Tournament Team
Erin Bognar, Samford
Chelsi Carter, Samford
Michaela Reesor, Samford
Andrea Fisher, Furman
Ashton Gregory, Furman
Kelsey Sidney, UNCG
Caitlin Piechota, Western Carolina

Most Outstanding Player
Chelsi Carter, Samford