SPARTANBURG, S.C. – Led by a match-high 13 kills from sophomore Bella Santoro, the Wofford volleyball team impressed the home crowd with a three-set sweep of defending Southern Conference Tournament champion Samford (25-22, 25-18, 25-18), Friday night at Benjamin Johnson Arena.
 
It was Samford's (7-6, 2-1 SoCon) first loss of the conference season after opening with home wins over Mercer and UNCG. The Terriers (8-10, 1-2 SoCon) earned their first league win, doing so against a team they hadn't beaten since the Bulldogs joined the Southern Conference in 2008.
 
"I'm so proud of this team for fighting for every point," said head coach Lynze Roos, who earned her first SoCon win as head coach of the Terriers. "Samford has built an amazing program. This win is a salute to the work our ladies have put in to get better every day."
 
Samford has won four regular season titles in its first seven seasons in the Southern Conference. The Bulldogs have taken the tournament championship twice, including last season, when they took down regular season champion Furman in the final and went five sets in the first round of the NCAA Tournament against Alabama.
 
Santoro was effective on both sides of the ball Friday night, hitting .242 and racking up eight digs. She didn't record an ace, but her jump serve was in all night, making it difficult for Samford to run its offense.
 
The head coach took notice. "Bella had one of her best matches this year," said Roos on the Riverside High product. "Her ball control was spot on and her attacking was smart and powerful."
 
Santoro was the lone Terrier to reach double figures in the kill column, but not for a lack of efficiency. Sophomore outside Alex Holland bolstered the attack with eight kills at .238 and freshman middle Colleen Reilly hit .333 with seven kills. Four of Reilly's seven came in the final set on six swings with no errors.
 
"Colleen played with great discipline and stepped up against two great Samford middles," Roos added. "And I can't say enough about Jess Graham. She really made some key serves and digs tonight."

Graham went for a match-high 15 digs and found an ace as part of a 4-0 Terrier run to begin the second set.
 
Wofford outhit Samford .202 to .112, holding the Bulldogs to their lowest hitting percentage since August 29 at Auburn. The Terriers also bested the opposition in aces (4-0) and digs (39-38), while blocking was level at five apiece.
 
Much like Tuesday night, Wofford played a highly competitive first set. There were 15 ties and nine lead changes, with Wofford creating the first amount of separation by rolling off three straight points to go on top 18-15.
 
However, Samford came right back. Erin Bognar found three straight of her team-high 10 kills to level the set, once more. A block even put the visitors back in front before kills by Santoro and setter Molly Mayo helped put the Terriers ahead 21-19.
 
Samford hung around and closed the gap to 23-22 on another block, this time by T.J. Russell and Krista Boesing, but Wofford held on. Morgan St. Germain went for a short serve that didn't have enough on it, awarding Wofford set point, and Holland converted the first chance.
 
Wofford rode a surge of momentum into the second set, scoring the first four points with the help of a Santoro kill and a Graham ace. The lead extended to 10-5 and, with Samford head coach Derek Schroeder refusing to call timeout, Wofford began to run away with it, going on top by as many as eight at 18-10 off another Santoro kill. It was too much for the Bulldogs to overcome and Wofford cruised to a seven-point set victory and a two-set lead in the match.
 
Coach Schroeder put out a different look in the third set, switching his libero from St. Germain to Mattie Newson and putting freshman Taylor Anderton in to set for starter Erika Pifer. It did little to affect the result of the match. Anderton was called for three ball-handling errors and Wofford used a 5-0 run to create separation late, 20-15, going on to take the set and the match on kills by Holland and Reilly.
 
The Terriers close out their three-match homestand next Wednesday, when they welcome defending regular season champion Furman to Benjamin Johnson Arena. First serve is slated for 7 p.m.
 
Terrier Notes:
- Wofford beat Samford for the first time in series history. The Bulldogs had won the first nine meetings since joining the SoCon in 2008, including the first four at Benjamin Johnson Arena.
- Lynze Roos earned her first home win and her first Southern Conference win as Wofford's head coach.
- Jessica Graham had 15 digs and is now 17 shy of breaking the program's career record held by Reagan Styles '13 (1,631 digs).