Clemson Falls To Duke, 3-0, Friday Night In Volleyball Action

Sept. 22, 2006

DURHAM, NC – The Clemson volleyball team suffered a 3-0 loss to the Duke Blue Devils on Friday night at the Cameron Indoor Stadium in Durham, NC. The loss dropped the Tigers to 5-4 overall and 0-1 in the Atlantic Coast Conference, while Duke improved its overall record to 8-2 with a 1-0 mark in conference play.

Jeannette Abbott had a team-high 16 kills for Clemson, while Meghan Steiner added nine in the effort. Leslie Mansfield recorded the 500th defensive save of her career during the second game and finished the match with 15 to give her 504 total digs as a Tiger.

Duke was led by Rachael Moss, who tallied 13 kills for a .314 hitting percentage to go along with 13 defensive saves

Clemson scored the first point of a tight first game that remained close through the first half of play. However, the Blue Devils used a seven-point rally to go ahead 23-16. The Tigers were unable to make up the difference, and Duke claimed the game, 30-21.

Danielle Hepburn served eight straight points to give Clemson an early 9-1 advantage in the second game. The Blue Devils inched back into the game and knotted the score at 19 apiece. After the Tigers went ahead, 22-20, Duke closed out the game on the service of Polly Bendush to take a 2-0 lead in the match.

The Blue Devils took the early lead in the third game, scoring the first six points of the game and increasing the gap to 10 points at 15-5. Clemson rallied to within four points near the end of the game, at 29-25, but Duke held on for the game victory and its eighth win of the season.

The Tigers will play the Demon Deacons of Wake Forest on Saturday night. The teams are scheduled to begin play at 6:00 pm in Winston-Salem, NC.