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Clemson Volleyball Falls To North Carolina In Five-Game Thriller Friday Night

Clemson Volleyball Falls To North Carolina In Five-Game Thriller Friday Night

Nov. 10, 2006

Final Stats

CHAPEL HILL, NC – The Clemson volleyball suffered a five-game loss to the North Carolina Tar Heels on Friday night in Chapel Hill, NC. The loss dropped the Tigers to 16-8 overall with an 11-5 ledger in ACC action. With the win, North Carolina stands at 8-18 overall and 6-11 against conference competition.

Jeannette Abbott posted her 37th straight double-figure kill total with 23 to lead the Clemson effort, while Danielle Hepburn entered the program’s top 10 list with her 250th career block assist. She matched her career high with 10 and also added a solo block on Friday night.

Ingrid Hanson-Tuntland led the Tar Heels with 17 kills on the night, while Megan Owens added 15 in the win.

The Tigers ran out to an 11-3 lead in game one and never relinquished the advantage. Clemson increased the lead to 21-11, and the Tigers went on a five-point run on the service of Leslie Mansfield to go up 27-14. UNC rallied with three straight points before Clemson closed out the game on a Hepburn kill and ace.

Game two was close throughout, but Carolina was unable to put together a sustained run and Clemson triumphed, 30-26. After tying the score at 7, the Tar Heels committed three straight attack errors to give the Tigers a working lead that they would maintain for the duration. The Clemson lead swelled to six at 20-14 behind the hitting of Abbott, who had eight kills in the stanza. UNC cut the lead back to three several times in the late stages but could get no closer.

After struggling through two games, the Tar Heels put together a complete effort to claim game three, 30-24. Clemson held an 18-14 lead midway through the frame before the momentum turned toward UNC. A kill by Megan Owens and back-to-back blocks trimmed the deficit to one, and a Hanson-Tuntland kill tied it at 19. Carolina would close on an 11-5 run to seal it.

UNC closed game four on an 18-6 run to cruise to a 30-20 win. Trailing 14-11, Carolina caught fire. Led by Amy Beaver, who contributed three blocks, two kills and an ace in an 11-point stretch, the Tar Heels built a six-point lead and forced Clemson to use both of its timeouts. The stoppages did little to slow down Carolina, however, as the hosts surrendered just four points the rest of the way. Hanson-Tuntland’s fifth kill of the frame ended it, forcing a deciding game five.

Carolina started the final game just as they had ended game four. Beaver notched two kills and two blocks to give the Tar Heels an 8-4 lead going into the changeover. A block by Brooks and Hanson-Tuntland pushed the UNC lead to 13-6 and it looked like the Tar Heels had sealed the match. But a spirited run by Clemson brought the Tigers all the way back to even at 13. The two squads traded side outs before Clemson got a match point at 15-14. But Lauren Prussing scored on a tip to extend the match, and Hanson-Tuntland and Beaver combined for a block to give UNC match point at 16-15. Prussing finally ended it with a kill, giving Carolina a thrilling come-from-behind victory.

The Clemson volleyball team will take on NC State tomorrow night in Raleigh, NC. The match is scheduled to begin at 6:00 pm.

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