BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Western Carolina claimed the opening two sets on Sunday evening, but Samford rallied to win the final three to claim a 3-2 win in a Southern Conference volleyball match at the Pete Hanna Center. The Bulldogs won by scores of 21-25, 19-25, 25-22, 25-14, and 15-8.
 
Junior Merry Gebel led the Catamounts with 13 kills and tied a career-best with 19 digs. Senior MaKenzie White tallied a season-best 12 kills, while freshman Destinee Dorsey tallied a team-best 21 digs. Senior Hannah Price logged her first double-double of the year with 40 assists and 11 digs.
 
Lauren Deaton led the Samford offense with 32 kills. Emily Naubert tallied 32 digs while Corinne Meglic dished out 60 assists.
 
The early stages of a tightly contested first set saw the teams change the lead multiple times before the Bulldogs took a 15-12 lead into the media timeout. With Samford holding a 19-16 lead, WCU went on a 6-0 run to claim a 22-19 advantage. Consecutive kills by Haley Multerer and Johnna Robinson clinched the set and the early lead for WCU.
 
With the second set tied at 5, the Bulldogs went on a 6-1 run to take a 11-6 lead. The Catamounts, however, used a 7-0 spurt capped by a Bulldog error for a 14-12 advantage. After the hosts tallied the next two points, WCU went on a 7-1 run for a 21-15 lead. The Catamounts led by no fewer than four points for the remainder of the set as a Samford error closed out the set and gave WCU a 2-0 lead in the match.
 
Tied at 17 in the pivotal third set, Samford won four of the next five points to go ahead 21-18. WCU pulled within one, 22-21, after a combined block by Multerer and White, but the Bulldogs took advantage of Catamount errors to claim the set and prolong the match.
 
In the fourth set, the Bulldogs broke a 5-5 tie with a 4-0 run to take control of the frame and force a deciding fifth set, winning 25-14.
 
Samford took control of the deciding fifth set thanks to a 5-1 run in the middle stages. A Deaton kill closed out the match.
 
WCU and Samford meet in a rematch on Monday at 7 p.m. Eastern. The contest will be streamed on ESPN+ (paid subscription required).
 
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