Clemson Falls To North Carolina, 3-0, In Volleyball Action Saturday Night

Oct. 15, 2005

CHAPEL HILL, NC – The Clemson volleyball team suffered a 3-0 loss to the North Carolina Tar Heels on Saturday night at the Carmichael Auditorium in Chapel Hill, NC. North Carolina improved to 13-6 overall and 8-1 in the ACC, while the Tigers fell to 9-7 on the season and 4-4 against conference foes. Clemson libero Anna Vallinch tied her season high with 25 digs in the match.

Brittany Ross and Jeannette Abbott each tallied nine kills for the Tigers, while Leslie Mansfield recorded 22 set assists in just her second match as a setter. North Carolina was led by Dani Nyenhuis with 20 kills for a .310 hitting percentage.

The Tar Heels took an early 11-3 lead in the first game, but Clemson was able to close the gap to four points at 20-16. However, North Carolina’s Taylor Rayfield served eight straight points after a Clemson sideout to put her team up 29-16. The Tar Heels then won the game by a score of 30-17.

In game two, North Carolina jumped ahead for good at 8-6 and went on to win the game by a score of 30-19. Clemson fought hard in game three as the Tigers scored six points on Vallinch’s serve to take a 15-11 lead. They were unable to hold on, allowing the Tar Heels to creep ahead and claim the game, 30-25, and the match.

The Tigers will take a short break from action before returning to the court on Tuesday, Oct. 18. Clemson will travel to Atlanta, GA to face the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets in a 7:00 PM match.