Aug. 27, 2001

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Samford at Rice Invitational
Rice University, Houston, Texas
Aug. 31 and Sept. 1, 2001

Dog Bites:
The Bulldogs enter the 2001 season returning eight letterwinners and all six starters from last season. In addition, 1999 TAAC All-freshmen team member Abby Miner returns off a red shirt season last year. The Bulldogs have five incoming freshmen that round out the 14 player roster. Samford has three players from Texas, Florida, and Alabama, two players from Colorado, and one each from California, Tennessee, and Ohio.

Homecoming:
The Bulldogs have a trio of Texans on this year's roster who are all playing their first collegaite matches in thier home state. Sophomore Angela Smith is from Houston. She attended Cypress Falls High School. Senior Shellie Ouldhouse is from Mesquite and freshman Hilary Gary is from Dallas.

No. 500:
Samford has played 498 matches since 1987. The 500th match in the pro-gram's history will be against Rice. The Bulldogs have amassed an overall record of 193-305 over 14 years, an average of just under 14 wins per season. The Bulldogs have won 14 matches in each of the last two seasons.

On the Watch:
Senior Whitney Miller enters the 2001 season with 857 career kills. She needs 143 kills to become the fourth Bulldogs player to reach 1,000. Shellie Ouldhouse is 354 kills shy of 1,000. Both players could reach the milestone this sea-son. Colleen Donivan is third all-time in assists with 1,818. Krista Kettering should move up the assist list quickly as she enters her sophomore season with 595 assists. She is 405 away from reaching 1,000 assists which would make her the fifth setter to reach that mark.

Season Openers:
The Bulldogs are 8-6 all-time in the first match of the season. Samford defeated East Carolina 3-2 to open last season at Winthrop University. The Dogs are 22-29 all-time in the first tournament of the year after a 2-1 showing at Winthrop in 2000. Samford has never opened the season against a ranked opponent.

Its Been a While:
Samford is making its first trip to the Lone Star State since 1995. The Bulldogs are 1-5 all-time against team from Texas. SU defeated UT-Pan American on Sept. 9, 1994 for its only victory.

Series History:
Samford has never faced Texas A&M, Rice, or Houston. The Bulldogs played Stephen F. Austin on Sept. 17, 1993. The Lumberjacks won that meeting 3-0.

Up Next:
Samford will be in Oxford, Miss. next weekend for the Magnolia Invitational hosted by Ole Miss. Opponents will be Ole Miss, Arkansas State, Southern Miss., and Tennessee-Martin.