Charleston, S.C. Senior Samantha Parisi set a new Citadel record for career digs as she recorded her 1,036th dig Friday night as the Bulldogs faced Chattanooga in a 3-0 loss. Parisi, only the second person in school history with 1,000-plus digs, ended the night with her 1,040th career dig at McAlister Field House in front of a season-high attendance of 279.
Parisi topped Nicole Mantu's record of 1,035 digs set back in 2002. Mantu still resides in the school record books in several other categories. Parisi joined Mantu as the only people in school history to record 1,000-plus digs in a career.
“This is a memorable night for Samantha,” said head coach Carolyn Geiger. “She has worked hard over her four years at The Citadel to get where she is today. I knew it was only a matter of time before she set the school career dig record. Hopefully she will set a record that will be tough to surpass.”
The Citadel (10-20, 2-13 Southern) finished the match with 61 digs while Chattanooga (11-15, 10-5 SoCon) recorded 66. The Bulldogs only hit .031 in the match while Chattanooga hit .266. The Citadel was outblocked, 10.5 to 4.0.
Ashley Yeager led the Mocs, recording one of the team's two double-doubles on the night. Yeager finished the match with 12 kills and 20 digs while Michaela Huff recorded 30 assists and 11 digs in the other double-double effort.
Sophomore Rachel Sanders notched 12 kills for The Citadel while sophomore Ashley Winter's 18 digs led the Bulldogs defensively. Sophomore Emily Hill came one dig shy of a double-double as she recorded 24 assists and nine digs.
Parisi's tying dig and record dig all came in the same rally, a long, hard fought rally as the ball went back and forth over the net more than 10 times. Parisi recorded two digs in that rally that the Bulldogs eventually won the point on at the 16-11 mark in the third game.
The Citadel will host Western Carolina Saturday at 2 p.m. in McAlister Field House in the team's home finale. That match has been designated as Senior Day, with Senior Day Ceremonies set to begin shortly before 2 p.m.
For complete coverage of Bulldog Volleyball, visit the official home of The Citadel Athletics at CitadelSports.com.
