Clemson Knocks Off #13 Duke, 3-2

Oct. 13, 2007

DURHAM, NC – – Danielle Hepburn led five Clemson double-figure hitters and the Clemson volleyball team knocked off #13 Duke, 3-2 (30-23, 30-26, 28-30, 19-30, 15-10) in Durham, NC on Saturday night. With the win, the Tigers claimed sole possession of first place in the ACC and are the only remaining undefeated team in league play at 8-0.

“This was a really big win for us, especially for our seniors,” Clemson Head Coach Jolene Jordan Hoover said. “They have done a wonderful job leading this team and we just had a great defensive effort by everyone tonight.”

The 2007 Clemson squad (15-2, 8-0 ACC) continues to make school history with its eight straight wins to start the conference season and Saturday’s victory was the program’s first over a ranked opponent since the 2004 season.

The victory also marked a coaching milestone for Hoover as it was her 300th win as the head coach of the Clemson program. She now owns a 300-173 record at Clemson with a 393-204 overall coaching record.

Hepburn tied her season high with 19 kills against the Blue Devils, while Meghan Steiner added 13 kills, including match point, with a .478 hitting percentage. Jeannette Abbott, Leslie Mansfield and Lia Proctor each had at least 10 kills for the Tiger offense, and four Clemson players were in double figures for digs as well, led by Didem Ege’s 27.

Duke’s Carrie DeMange posted a match-best 28 kills, while Rachel Moss added 22 for the Blue Devils, now 14-4 overall and 9-1 in the ACC.

Clemson struck first, winning the opening game for the 1-0 lead in the match. The Blue Devils had an early run to take a 9-4 advantage before Hoover called a timeout to spark a 8-3 rally to tie the game. A four-point run put the Tigers on top 19-15 and they stretched the advantage to six points at 25-19 after another four-point stretch on the service of Ege.

A Hepburn kill gave Clemson a 28-21 lead and Kelsey Murphy scored the 29th point for the Tigers. Duke notched its 23rd point before a service error handed the game to the Tigers.

The Blue Devils opened the second frame on a 4-0 run, but Clemson inched its way back into the game and took its first lead at 12-11. The Tigers rallied for five straight points on Sue Eckman’s serve for the four-point advantage and held off Duke for the remainder of the frame. The lead grew to as many as eight points at 21-13 and Clemson survived a late Blue Devil run for the 30-26 victory and a 2-0 lead in the match.

Duke avoided the sweep with a 30-28 win in game four. A tight score was broken open after a pair of three-point runs by the Blue Devils put them ahead 24-19. They then led 29-24 before the Tigers rallied to narrow the deficit to just one. Duke held on for the win, however.

The Blue Devils then tied the match at 2-2 after a 30-19 victory in the fourth game thanks to a nine-point run early in the frame. The stretch gave Duke a 16-11 lead and the margin widened to 10 points at 28-18.

The Tigers were then revived in the fifth game as they used a four-point rally to take a 13-8 lead in the frame. Clemson scored its 14th point in between the Blue Devils’ ninth and 10th points and sealed the upset on a powerful kill by Steiner.

The Tigers will be back in action on Tuesday as they conclude their five-match road stretch at Georgia Tech.