Nov. 19, 2008

2008 Volleyball Bracket

2008 SoCon Championship Page

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. ---- The Samford University volleyball team will head back to Greensboro, N.C., on Wednesday to play in the Southern Conference Volleyball Tournament. The appearance will be the first in post-season play since 2001 when the Bulldogs made it to the first round of the Atlantic Sun Tournament where they eventually fell to Campbell, 3-1.

The field for the 2008 Southern Conference Volleyball Tournament was set on Sunday after the 18-match regular-season conference schedule wrapped up. The tournament is hosted by UNC Greensboro at the Spartans' home gym, Fleming Gymnasium.

The tournament is set to begin Friday, with four matches slated. The first match will begin at 10 a.m. and will feature the South Division's No. 2 seed, Furman, facing off with the North Division's No. 3 seed, Chattanooga. At 12:30 p.m., Samford, who holds the No. 1 seed for the North Division will meet up with South Division No. 4 seed, Davidson.

Friday action will round out with a 4:30 p.m. match up with South Division No. 1 seed, College of Charleston, and North Division No. 4 seed, Elon, followed by North Division No. 2 seed, UNC Greensboro, taking on South Division No. 3 seed, Georgia Southern, at 7 p.m.

The semifinal matches will be on Saturday at 2 p.m. (winners of match one and match two) and 4:30 p.m. (winners of match three and match four). The championship match is set for Sunday at 2 p.m.

Last season, the College of Charleston defeated UNC Greensboro, 3-1, to take the 2007 tournament title. This year, the new `Dogs in town, Samford, have been giving everyone in the conference a run for their money. Having already secured the North Division title, its first title in program history, the Bulldogs are looking to find themselves in the championship match and win it all in their first year in the Southern Conference.

With a record-breaking year, the Bulldogs set the school record for longest win-streak (12), boasted their first-ever undefeated home record and grabbed their third 20-win season while posting their second consecutive winning season overall and in conference play. Before last year, Samford had not had a winning season in the 20 years of the program, but the Bulldogs have not dwelled in the past. They have their sights set forward, on the present and a Southern Conference title.

"I don't think the team has thought about past seasons at all," Samford head coach Derek Schroeder said. "They have been very mature about this season and how we have broken it down and focused on what phase we are in now. I am very proud of my girls for how enthusiastically they have bought into the training, the techniques and the systems. That, more than anything, is why they have enjoyed the success they have worked so hard for this year."

Samford (27-4, 16-2) finished up regular-season play last Thursday and Saturday on the road in North Carolina. The Bulldogs swept Elon (19-15, 8-10 SoCon) on Thursday before falling to UNC Greensboro (22-9, 14-4 SoCon) in three sets on Saturday.

Samford's first opponent in the Southern Conference Tournament will be Davidson, who finished the regular-season with a 12-19 overall record, 7-11 in league play, and landed the Southern Division No. 4 seed. The Bulldogs and the Wildcats met twice this year, once in Davidson and once in Birmingham. Samford walked away from both meetings with 3-0 wins.

The Bulldogs have not played at a neutral sight since Sept. 13 when they defeated South Florida in four sets. Going into the conference tournament, Samford will have to tap into a different mindset as it faces new surroundings in many different ways.

"We are focusing on creating an environment on our side of the floor and blocking out any and all distractions," Schroeder said. "We have continued to work on individual and small group skills we do not do well and have also put more work into the things we do very well, those things that make us the team we are."

Samford also knows that in the conference tournament scheme no team is ever counted out.

"Our mindset going in is that every step of the way in this is going to be hard, very hard but also very fun," Schroeder said. "No one we play is going to give us anything but the very best they have because they have nothing to lose. We believe in the idea that together we made it and together we will be strong and make it further!"

For ticket prices, directions and information on the host school and gym, visit the 2008 Southern Conference Volleyball Championships webpage at www.soconsports.com. Live stats and video streaming will also be available through the SoCon website and SoCon.TV. Fans that already have a SoCon.TV subscription will be able to access the matches and do not need to sign up for additional subscriptions.

A full recap and results will be available at the conclusion of each of Samford's matches on www.samfordsports.com while a recap and results will be available for every match on www.soconsports.com.