Tiger Volleyball Continues Road Stretch At Wake Forest And #13 Duke

Oct. 10, 2007

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CLEMSON, SC – Jolene Jordan Hoover’s volleyball team will remain on the road for another pair of matches this weekend as the Tigers travel to Wake Forest (7-10, 4-4 ACC) and Duke (13-3, ). Clemson will take on the Demon Deacons on Friday night in Winston-Salem, NC before a tough test against the 13th-ranked Blue Devils in Durham.

Both matches will be broadcast over the Internet at www.clemsontigers.com for Friday’s match and by visiting the Duke athletic website for Saturday’s contest.

Watch Clemson vs. Wake Forest Live! | Watch Clemson vs. Duke Live!

The Tigers’ offense has been a balanced attack this season with five different players totaling over 100 kills, led by Jeannette Abbott’s 186. The team owns a .276 hitting percentage which ranks 17th in the nation, due in large part to Meghan Steiner’s ACC-leading .424 figure. Setter Kelsey Murphy is averaging 12.63 assists per conference game and has tallied 606 assists on the year.

Defensively, Clemson is averaging 2.59 blocks and 18.45 digs per game. Danielle Hepburn leads the Tigers at the net with 71 total blocks, while libero Didem Ege’s 5.63 digs per game average ranks second in the ACC and 25th in the nation.

Scouting the Demon Deacons Wake Forest enters Friday night’s match-up with a 7-10 overall record and a 4-4 ledger in ACC action. The Demon Deacons most recently fell to Duke, 3-1.

Natalie Mullikin leads the Wake offense with 232 kills while hitting a .343 figure and totaling 68 blocks. Kelsey Johnson is averaging 10.70 assists per game with 503 in 47 games played. Overall, the Deacs are out-blocking their opponents by a 2.39-2.00 per game margin and are hitting a .208 percentage.

Clemson vs. Wake Forest, The Series Head Clemson Coach Jolene Jordan Hoover’s will be taking on one of her former players this weekend, as Heather Kahl Holmes was a four-year letterwinner for the Tigers from 1991-94. She was named to the ACC’s 50th Anniversity team in 2002 and still ranks third in school history for assists with 3.722.

Clemson won both meetings against Wake Forest last season. The Tigers defeated the Demon Deacons, 3-1, in Winston-Salem in the first match-up and then swept Wake in the match-up at Jervey Gym. Overall, Clemson leads 20-10 all time against the Deacs.

Scouting the Blue Devils Duke brings a 13-2 overall record, an unblemished 8-0 ACC ledger and the #13 ranking into this weekend’s action. The Blue Devils will play host to Georgia Tech on Friday night before battling the Tigers on Saturday.

Setter Ali Hausfeld ranks third in the nation with a 14.11 assists per game average, while fellow senior Carrie DeMange is averaging 4.96 kills per game to rank 15th nationally. Jourdan Horman is also listed in the NCAA rankings at #15 for her .415 hitting percentage. As a team, the Blue Devils are also ranked in the top 20 in the nation for assists per game; digs per game; hitting percentage and kills per game. They are averaging 17.78 kills per game while hitting a .280 figure. Opponents are hitting just .178 against Duke this season with just 13.31 kills per game.

Clemson vs. Duke, The Series The Blue Devils hold a 30-17 all-time advantage over the Tigers and have won the last three meetings. Duke claimed both match-ups in 2006, defeating Clemson, 3-0, in Durham before edging the Tigers, 3-2, at Jervey Gym.