CHARLESTON, S.C. - Samford maintained its perfect record in Southern Conference action on Friday evening following a 25-18, 25-18, 25-6 victory over The Citadel at McAlister Field House.

Led by Erika Pifer's 35 assists, Samford (13-7, 7-0 SoCon) drove home 42 team kills in 92 attempts to close with a hitting percentage of .337. Other individual offensive leaders for the Bulldogs included Michaela Reesor (11 kills), T.J. Russell (eight) and Erin Bognar (eight). The defensive catalyst for the Bulldogs was Chelsi Carter (11 digs).

The Citadel (6-16, 0-7 SoCon) struggled to find an offensive rhythm throughout the match, combining for 22 kills in 87 total attacks. Sophomore Megan Sowell led the Dogs with seven kills, while Ise d'Angelo and Amanda Rudnik were the defensive leaders with seven digs apiece.

With the two teams separated by just two points early in the first set, Samford pieced together a 9-7 run to take an 18-14 lead on an unforced Citadel error. Samford added to its lead with kills by Bognar and Russell, along with a service ace by Reesor, to complete the seven-point victory.

The Citadel returned the favor in the second, opening an early 6-3 advantage following a series of kills by Sowell and Bailey Kernodle. Samford answered with a 12-3 run, highlighted by two kills each by Mietz and Russell, to forge ahead 15-9. The Cadets used kills by Kernodle and Lauren Hurt to pull within three, but it was six kills down the stretch that proved to be the difference in the Samford victory.

Samford put on a dominating performance in the third set behind the service games of Reesor and Greenwald as it built a 20-3 lead. The Bulldogs converted seven unforced Citadel errors and two service aces into the double-digit advantage. The Cadets reached six points as d'Angelo forced back-to-back errors by Mietz, before Samford closed out the decisive win.

The Citadel returns to the court on Saturday at 5 p.m. when it hosts Chattanooga.