--- Bulldogs take on Southeast Missouri, Eastern Illinois in final home matches ---
Nov. 9, 2006
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. ---- The Samford volleyball team will conclude its 2006 campaign Friday and Saturday with its final matches of the regular season, taking on Southeast Missouri and Eastern Illinois. The Bulldogs will also honor their only senior, defensive specialist Callaway Logan.
“We are excited to have the opportunity to play in front of our home crowd one more weekend this year,” Samford head coach Michelle Durban said. “We are looking to send Callaway (Logan) out on a positive note.”
Logan, a native of Louisville, Ky., garnered her first career kill on Sept. 6, 2003 against Virginia Commonwealth, the same match in which she captured a career high 27 digs while only a freshman. As a sophomore, Callaway recorded her highest hitting percentage against West Coast powerhouse UCLA, hitting .593. In the same year, she had seven double-figure kill matches and 11 double-figure digs matches.
Logan worked her way to three double-doubles, with her first coming against Chattanooga at 12 kills and 19 digs. In her junior season, Callaway lead the Bulldogs in digs with 396, and recorded Samford’s third highest single season total. She was also named to the Ohio Valley Conference Commissioner’s Honor Roll in 2004 and 2005.
“Callaway has worked very hard to make this program better while she has been here,” said Durban. “She is a great example of what a student-athlete should strive to be. It is unfortunate that she was unable to finish her senior year on the court, but has still added many things to this program over the last four years.”
Southeast Missouri enters this weekend one game out of conference tournament contention. The Redhawks currently sit at seventh place in the Ohio Valley Conference; the top six teams make it to the tournament. Southeast Missouri needs to win its final matches against Samford and Jacksonville State to be eligible for tournament play. Samford hopes to defeat Southeast Missouri Friday night, keeping the Redhawks out of the tournament and breaking the eight-match skid the Bulldogs have been on.
When the Bulldogs and Redhawks met earlier this season, it was a four-game match. Southeast Missouri defeated Samford, 3-1.
“SEMO is fighting to get into the OVC tourney right now so this is a big weekend for them so we need to come out and play well from the beginning,” said Durban. “We went four with them last time and hope to have another good match.”
Eastern Illinois comes off a winless week as they fell to Southeast Missouri and Tennessee Tech. Despite the losses, the Panthers had put on an amazing defensive performance, tallying 102 versus Southeast Missouri, marking the sixth time this season they have exceeded the century mark in a match. The Panthers are led my junior outside hitter/defensive specialist Eliza Zwettler, last week’s offensive player of the week. Zwettler tallied 39 digs last week, including a career-high 29 digs in the loss at Southeast Missouri.
This season’s first meeting between these two teams was a three-game match in which Eastern Illinois snapped a 13-match loss streak. Samford hopes to even the series with a win in its last match of the season in front of a home crowd.
“EIU did a nice job against us last time,” said Durban. “We hope to turn the tables on them this time, as this will be both teams’ last match of the year.”
Match play against Southeast Missouri will begin Friday at 7 p.m. Saturday, Bulldogs will honor senior Callaway Logan before the first serve, which will be at 2 p.m.
*** SAMFORD BULLDOGS ***
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