BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- The Chattanooga volleyball team dropped a 3-0 decision against Samford on the opening night of Southern Conference play in Birmingham, Ala., on Friday night.

The Bulldogs captured the first two sets 25-23 and 25-13 before capturing the sweep with a 25-19 win in the third set.

With the loss the Mocs fall to 0-1 in conference play and now hold a 7-7 overall record. Samford improves to 1-0 in the Southern Conference and 10-6 overall.

The Mocs were out-hit .264 to .154 over the three sets, out-blocked by a 9.0-5.0 margin and also committed nine service errors.

Chattanooga was led on offense by sophomore Miranda Elpers (Louisville, Ky.) as she totaled a team-high 12 kills while picking up the double-double by adding ten digs. Seniors Allie Davenport (Tyrone, Ga.) and Kristy Wieser (Lincoln, Neb.) added six and five kills, respectively.

Directing the offense were a pair of junior setters in Madison Bergren (Muncie, Ind.) and Lauren Greenspoon (Houston, Texas). Bergren finished with 17 assists in the first two sets as Greenspoon dished out ten assists in the final set.

Defensively, starting libero Rachel Petkosh (Merritt Island, Fla.) led the team with 18 digs. Davenport chipped in with ten digs in the loss. Sophomore Emily Plumlee (Chesapeake, Va.) added three block assists at the net.

The Mocs return to action on Friday, Sept. 30, when they square-off with in-state rival and conference foe ETSU at 6:00 p.m. in Maclellan Gym.