BIRMINGHAM, Ala. ---- The NCAA released its national rankings this week for games through Sept. 18, and Samford is well represented in numerous categories. Out of 322 teams included in the rankings, the Bulldogs are 12th nationally in hitting percentage (.286), 32nd in kills-per-set (14.02) and 38th in aces-per-set (1.61). There are only 22 teams, including Samford, with one or fewer losses and the Bulldogs are one of only three one-loss teams to play 14 matches.
"Our preseason has been great," said Head Coach Derek Schroeder. "The girls have worked very hard to continue to grow and improve. These rankings are a reflection of the hard work put in this summer and preseason."
Individuals on the team are also making a name for themselves in the national rankings. Lauren Hutchinson and Katie Murphy are second (.471) and sixth (.441), respectively, in the nation in hitting percentage. Samford is the only team in the country to have two players in the top-20 in hitting percentage. Junior setter Casey Garvey is also ranked eighth nationally in assists-per-set with 11.85.
"Our attacking and our offense is the strength of this team and we are proud of that" said Schroeder. "Lauren and Katie have become very impressive weapons and their numbers are incredible, but we have taken steps towards becoming a more balanced offensive team. We know how teams in the conference see us and how they game plan to stop us and we have been working hard for awhile now to make our offense more difficult for our opponents' defenses."