CHARLESTON, S.C. – The Citadel volleyball team heads to Spartanburg, S.C. this Friday to battle the top-seeded Samford Bulldogs at 1:30 p.m. in their second round match of the SoCon Tournament.
 
#BATTLEREADY (ABOUT THE CITADEL)
The Bulldogs hosted the program's first ever Southern Conference match earlier this week, defeating #9 seeded Chattanooga, 3-0.
 
Tuesday's victory was the second-ever win in post season competition for the Bulldogs as they played in front over 475 members of the corps.
 
On Wednesday, junior outside hitter Sharlissa De Jesus was named second team All-Southern Conference for the second year in a row. During the 2017 season, she was placed on the All-Freshman squad.
 
 De Jesus has recorded 318 kills on the season and reached 1,000 career kills in a victory over Furman earlier in the season. She is only one of five Bulldogs to reach such a milestone. She ranks eighth in the conference, averaging 3.31 kills per set. The junior's jump serve has also led to 43 service aces on the season, a team-high.

THE CITADEL VS SAMFORD (THE HISTORY)
This Friday's match will be the third meeting between the Bulldogs and Samford this season.
 
The Citadel dropped both regular season matches to the Bulldogs in, 3-1 decisions. The 'Dogs will be on the hunt for their second program victory against Samford, capturing their lone win during the 2017 season on the road in Birmingham, Ala.
 
SCOUTING THE BULLDOGS (SAMFORD)
The Bulldogs of Samford boast a 21-5 overall record, and15-1 in conference going into post season competition. Samford is currently ranked among the top-50 teams in the nation.
 
Samford's Kelsi Hobbs was recently named the Southern Conference Player of the Year. Hobbs leads the Southern Conference in both total kills (397) and kills per set (3.89). She had double-digit kills in all but one of Samford's matches this season. She posted double-doubles, with double digits in both kills and digs, 10 times.
 
Hobbs was joined on the All-SoCon first team by sophomore outside hitter Lauren Deaton. Freshman libero Emily Naubert was named to the SoCon's All-Freshman team. Deaton ranked second in the SoCon behind Hobbs in both total kills (387) and kills per set (3.79). Deaton tallied nine double-doubles during the season for the Bulldogs. Naubert ranked fourth in the league in digs per set (4.02). She also ranked fifth in the SoCon in total digs (394).
  
JOIN THE CITADEL BRIGADIER FOUNDATION
Membership in The Citadel Brigadier Foundation is open to alumni and friends of The Citadel who are interested in supporting Bulldog athletics. By joining, you provide annual charitable contributions that fund scholarships for cadet-student-athletes. Supporters interested in joining TCBF or for more information, please click HERE.
 
FOLLOW THE BULLDOGS ON SOCIAL MEDIA
For more information and score updaes on The Citadel volleyball team, please visit CitadelSports.com or follow @CitadelVB on Twitter and @CitadelVolleyball on Instagram.