Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 BIRMINGHAM, Ala. ---- Samford Volleyball opened its 2013 season in front of a home crowd with a pair of sweeps, downing Presbyterian and Georgia State in three sets each Friday night at the Pete Hanna Center.
 
Samford (2-0) proved too potent on offense for Presbyterian (1-1) and Georgia State (0-2), as the Bulldogs tallied a .311 clip with 93 kills as opposed to a combined .105 clip and 52 kills from the opponents.  Junior Michaela Reesor and senior Katie Murphy showed why they were preseason All-Conference honorees, earning a combined 44 kills with Murphy at a team-leading .581 attack percentage.  Samford's other middle, sophomore Emily Meitz, also had a strong showing with 19 kills and only four errors for a .455 clip.
 
"It's no secret that our program takes pride in the play of our middles," said Head Coach Derek Schroeder.  "Emily's production was great and she used her feet to put herself in great situations."
 
Junior libero Chelsi Carter led the Bulldogs defensively with 25 kills while also adding three service aces.
 
"Chelsi was a stud on defense today," said Schroeder.  "She anchored us defensively and, more importantly, emotionally."
 
MATCH ONE: SAMFORD 3, PRESBYTERIAN 0
 
Samford opened the day with a convincing win over the Presbyterian Blue Hose as the visitors would only score 45 points over the three sets.  Meitz set the pace from the middle with 10 kills on 14 swings while Reesor and Murphy backed her up with nine each.  Samford's play at the service line made a huge difference as well, with the Bulldogs tallying nine service aces in the match.
 
"We saw some good clean play in the Presbyterian match," said Schroeder.  "Our offensive tempo was very good and our serving game was good as well."
 
Samford's 2-1 lead early in set one was the closest of the opening frame, as the Bulldogs quickly pulled away.  Samford hit the double-digit mark leading 10-5 and used a 6-3 run to push it to 16-8, forcing Presbyterian to take their first timeout of the set.  A Samford attack error gave Presbyterian possession, but the Bulldogs battled back with four-consecutive points, including two service aces by Carter, to make it 20-9.  Samford reached set point up 24-12 and, following a Presbyterian kill, a subsequent service error gave the Bulldogs the 25-13 win.
 
The positive momentum carried over into the second set as Samford would build a 7-0 lead before Presbyterian would earn a point.  Later, up 14-8, four-consecutive points, including a kill and an ace by Meitz would give the Bulldogs a double-digit lead, up 18-8.  Up by the same margin later, 23-13, a kill by Meitz gave the Bulldogs set point.  Presbyterian staved off a loss with two points but it proved too little, too late as a knock by Taylor Palmer sealed the 25-15 win and a 2-0 lead heading into the locker room.
 
Presbyterian would take its first lead of the match to open set two, pulling ahead 2-0.  They would hold the lead until, up 6-2, Samford rallied to tie it at 6-6.  Samford kept battling back to tie the match but would not take the lead until a block by Murphy and Stephanie Palmer put Samford up 12-11.  The Bulldogs would not relinquish the lead for the rest of the match, eventually putting distance between the teams with a 7-0 run to make it 22-14.  A kill by freshman Erin Bognar made it 24-17 and she paired up with Murphy for a match-ending block as the Bulldogs won 25-17 to seal the sweep.
 
MATCH TWO: SAMFORD 3, GEORGIA STATE 0
 
The match against Georgia State was more tightly contested, but Samford made the right plays at the right time to earn another sweep and start the season undefeated.
 
"Georgia State came out and played very hard and clean," said Schroeder.  "I was proud of our team in staying resolute and executing our systems."
 
Reesor led the offense with 14 kills and was one dig away from a double-double with nine.  Murphy and Meitz anchored the middle again, combining for 21 kills with only five errors, while Bognar was close behind with eight kills.  Senior setter Stephanie Palmer paced the Bulldog offense with 40 assists while adding four kills and a service ace.
 
"Erin's stat line doesn't fully reflect the great first-contact she gave us tonight or the clutch plays," said Schroeder.  "Stephanie Palmer is starting to grasp how we want to run our offense and played true Bulldog Volleyball tonight."
 
Set one was a back-and-forth affair with neither team taking more than a four-point lead.  Up 9-8, back-to-back kills by Bognar made it 11-8 and a Georgia State attack error gave the Bulldogs a four-point lead.  The lead was short-lived however, as the Panthers eventually came back to tie it at 17-17.  A kill by Reesor set up match point, leading 24-21, as Samford took a timeout to strategize on a crucial service.  An attack error gave Georgia State possession but Reesor sealed it with another kill as the Bulldogs eventually won 25-22.
 
The Panthers stole the early momentum in set two, building a 5-2 lead over the Bulldogs.  Samford quickly bounced back with a 7-0 run to pull ahead 9-5 and force a timeout by Georgia State.  The Panthers chipped away at the lead, but Samford stayed resolute, hitting the 20-point mark with a six-point lead, 20-14.  Georgia State would rattle off three in a row to narrow the lead to three, but a 5-3 run closed out by a pair of kills by Murphy gave Samford the 25-20 win.
 
Georgia State would not go down easily in set three, as an early Bulldog lead disappeared with the visitors fighting back to eventually tie the set at 9-9.  Tied later at 14-14, Samford scored three in a row to force a Georgia State timeout and then added another point after the break off a Selina Schirmer service ace.  With Samford up 23-20, Georgia State fought back to tie it 23-23 and put the sweep at risk.  Murphy and Bognar paired up for a block to set up match point as the Bulldogs took a timeout.  Stephanie Palmer would put good air under the ball to set up a match-winning kill by Bognar as the Bulldogs completed the sweep with a 25-23 victory.
 
Samford continues its opening weekend tomorrow with another pair of matches.  Samford opens up the day at Noon facing Mercer (1-1) before squaring off against sixth-ranked Minnesota (2-0) at 5 p.m.