SPARTANBURG, S.C. – The Samford Bulldogs earned the Southern Conference regular-season title and the top seed in the 2019 SoCon Volleyball Championship. The tournament, which features all nine teams in the conference, begins with a first-round contest on Tuesday, Nov. 19, when The Citadel, the No. 8 seed, welcomes No. 9 seed Chattanooga to Charleston, South Carolina. The remainder of the tournament will be held Nov. 22-24 in Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium on the campus of Wofford College in Spartanburg, South Carolina.
Samford (21-5, 15-1 SoCon), which wins the SoCon regular-season title for the first time since 2012, won 3-1 at ETSU on Saturday night in a match that decided the regular-season champion. As the No. 1 seed, Samford, the 2018 Southern Conference Champions, will face the winner of The Citadel (10-19, 4-12) and Chattanooga (7-22, 2-14) on Friday, Nov. 22, at 1:30 p.m. Samford went 2-0 against each in the regular season.
The Mocs and the Bulldogs split during the regular season, with each team winning on its home court. Chattanooga was 0-14 in league play before winning both matches in the final weekend, defeating The Citadel 3-2 on Friday and sweeping Wofford in the regular-season finale on Saturday.
ETSU (23-5, 14-2 SoCon) clinched the second seed in the tournament. The Bucs will face No. 7 seed UNCG (11-19, 5-11 SoCon). ETSU swept the Spartans in both regular-season meetings.
Western Carolina claimed the No. 3 seed in the tournament, finishing five spots ahead of its predicted finish in the preseason poll. The Catamounts (17-12, 11-5 SoCon) will take on No. 6 Mercer (13-16, 6-10) in the final match on Friday, set for 6:30 p.m. Karen Glover’s squad beat Mercer in both regular-season meetings, winning 3-2 on Oct. 4 in Macon, Georgia, and downing the Bears 3-1 on Nov. 2 in Cullowhee, North Carolina.
Fourth-seeded Wofford (15-15, 8-8) will clash with Furman (7-20, 7-9), who claimed the fifth seed, in the first match on Friday. Wofford won both regular-season meetings, sweeping the Paladins on the road on Oct. 4 and winning 3-1 at home on Nov. 2.
The semifinal round of the tournament will be held on Saturday, Nov. 23, with matches scheduled for 2 p.m. and 4:30 p.m., before the tournament culminates at 2 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 24, with the championship match.
The tournament champion will earn the league’s automatic bid to the NCAA Volleyball Championship.
2019 Southern Conference Volleyball Championship
Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium ▪ Spartanburg, S.C.
Tuesday, Nov. 19
First Round
Match 1: #8 The Citadel vs. #9 Chattanooga, 6 p.m. in Charleston, South Carolina (SDN/Roku)
Friday, Nov. 22
Quarterfinals
Match 2: #4 Wofford vs. #5 Furman, 11 a.m. (SDN/Roku)
Match 3: #1 Samford vs. Match 1 winner, 1:30 p.m. (SDN/Roku)
Match 4: #2 ETSU vs. #7 UNCG, 4:30 p.m. (SDN/Roku)
Match 5: #3 Western Carolina vs. #6 Mercer, 7 p.m. (SDN/Roku)
Saturday, Nov. 23
Semifinals
Match 6: Match 2 winner vs. Match 3 winner, 2 p.m. (SDN/Roku)
Match 7: Match 4 winner vs. Match 5 winner, 4:30 p.m. (SDN/Roku)
Sunday, Nov. 24
Championship
Match 8: Match 6 winner vs. Match 7 winner, 2 p.m. (ESPN+)
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