CHARLESTON, S.C. – The Bulldogs lost a three-set match (17-25, 23-25, 21-25) against the Samford Bulldogs on Friday night inside McAlister Field House. The Citadel retired Sharlissa de Jesus' No. 11 jersey before the match.
 
The Citadel led in digs 49-48 and in blocks 6-5 over Samford. Samford led The Citadel in kills 49-35 and aces 9-2.
 
Rachel Reininger led The Citadel in kills with 13, followed by Savannah Freeman with 10, and Luci Lippelgoos with six. Lippelgoos also recorded three total blocks.
 
Lydia Larson led The Citadel with 16 assists, and Mia Watson recorded a career-high 12 assists. Jess Martin was tied with a match-high 14 digs.
 
Kaleigh Merrit led Samford with 14 kills.
 
Set 1
Samford started the first set with a 5-0 scoring run, but the Bulldogs responded with a 4-0 rally that included kills from Lippelgoos, two attack errors, and a kill from Reininger. The Citadel took the lead with a Reininger kill at 7-6. Reininger tied the set at 16-16 with her fourth kill of the set, but Samford then went on a 7-1 run to win the first set from The Citadel.
 
Set 2
The Citadel overcame a three-point deficit at 8-5 with a 3-0 scoring run that included a service error, a service ace from Larson, and an attack error. Samford led over The Citadel at 13-9, but a 4-0 scoring run followed, with four straight kills from Lippelgoos, Reininger, and two from Freeman to make it 13-13. Both teams started trading points, with Samford holding a three-point lead at 24-21, but the Bulldogs narrowed it to one at 24-23. Samford was able to fend off The Citadel's late run to win the second set at 25-23.
 
Set 3
Samford jumped to a 4-1 lead over The Citadel, but the Bulldogs responded with a 4-0 run to take a 5-4 lead. A service ace from Samford put them ahead 17-12. The Citadel narrowed the gap to one point after a service error, an attack error from Samford, and back-to-back kills from Reininger, making it 17-16. Samford regained the lead and extended it to six points at 24-19. Two errors by Samford allowed The Citadel to cut the deficit to three at 24-21, but a Bulldog service error ultimately ended the match.





 
Up Next
The Citadel continues action against Chattanooga on Oct. 18, with the first serve set for 7 pm.