Clemson Downs UT-Chattanooga in Three

CLEMSON, SC – The Clemson Volleyball team improved to 5-0 with a 3-0 (25-16, 25-21, 25-18) win over the Chattanooga Mocs on Saturday morning. Clemson rode its’ front  line en route to 52 kills in the three-setter, led by Alexa Rand’s 15 in just 21 attempts. Sandra Adeleye added 12 kills and hit .345, while Mo Simmons had 11 kills in a team-high 34 swings for the Tigers. Clemson’s offense steadily improved in each set, going from .231 in the first set to .300 in the second set, and up to a .364 mark in the final set. Rand, Simmons and Adeleye helped bolster Clemson’s offense, which has set a precedent of spreading the ball around early this season. For Rand, it 15 kills are a season-high, as is her .619 hitting percentage, as she registered just two errors. It was Clemson’s fourth three-set victory of the young season. Defensively, Clemson had 60 digs, and allowed the Mocs to just a .167 hitting mark despite only 12 attack errors. Sophomore Kristin Faust led the Tigers with 15 digs, while Natalie Patzin had 14 from the libero spot. Clemson also allowed just one ace in 57 Chattanooga serves, and pounded out another seven, including two each from Serenat Yaz and Hannah Brenner, who now has seven in two matches in the Clemson Classic. Also a bright spot defensively, Clemson was able to side out on 41 of 57 serve attempts from the Mocs, a strong 71 percent success rate. Brenner had 34 assists in the match, while Kamryn Sherman also added seven in 13 sets in spot duty in the first set. Chattanooga’s best chance to claim a set was in the second, where they held a 21-20 lead before the Tigers scored five in a row to close the set. Rand added a kill and a clinching block during the run, and Simmons drilled a kill of her own. The Tigers will play at 4:00 pm against East Tennessee State in Jervey on Saturday evening as they try to claim a second straight preseason tournament championship before they head on the road for the next six matches.