Clemson Defeats East Carolina 3-0 On First Day Of Big Orange Bash

Sept. 6, 2002

CLEMSON, SC – In the Big Orange Bash day one nightcap, Clemson volleyball defeated East Carolina 3-0 (30-12, 30-21, 30-19) to improve to 2-3 on the season, while East Carolina falls to 1-4 overall. The tournament continues Saturday morning at 10:00 AM when Clemson and Jacksonville square off, followed by George Mason and East Carolina at noon. At 4:30 PM, East Carolina is slated to play Jacksonville, then Clemson and George Mason take the court at 7:00 PM to wrap up the Big Orange Bash.

Clemson dominated game one, winning 30-12 behind seven kills and a .700 hitting percentage from Lori Ashton. The Tigers hit .367 as a team, holding the Pirates to a negative hitting percentage (-.028). Jessi Betcher handed out 12 assists and recorded a career-high two solo blocks, while Carly Hill served up three aces.

In game two, East Carolina kept the match close until Clemson went ahead 18-17 off a kill by Leslie Finn. The Tigers built the lead to 28-20, then earned game point off a kill by Ashton. Ashton and Hill blocked a Pirate attempt to give Clemson the two-game lead. Ryane Beasley hit .417 with seven kills in the second game, while Ashton and Finn added four kills each. For the game, the Tigers hit .300 while East Carolina posted a .125 hitting percentage.

Clemson closed out the match hitting .321 as a team in the third game, while East Carolina hit .088. Finn and Ashton led with four kills, while Betcher tallied three service aces. Overall, the Tigers hit .327 as a team, holding East Carolina to .059. Ashton posted a match-best 15 kills with five digs and three blocks and tied her career-best hitting percentage of .636, while Leslie Finn recorded 10 kills with nine digs. Ryane Beasley added nine kills with six digs, and Zoric had seven kills with four block assists.

Head coach Lori Ashton, Leslie Finn and Marija Zoric lead us well against a nice East Carolina team.”

In the opening match of the tournament, George Mason defeated Jacksonville 3-0 (30-23, 30-26, 30-19) to improve to 3-2 overall, while the Dolphins dropped to 1-4 on the season. The Patriots hit .351 for the match, while the Dolphins had a .163 hitting percentage. George Mason also dominated at the net, recording seven team blocks to Jacksonville’s four team blocks. Amy Falk led George Mason with a .529 hitting percentage, and Aline Pereira tallied a match-high 22 kills with 11 digs and a .487 hitting percentage. Jessica Umansky handed out 46 assists with four blocks. For Jacksonville, Brooke Ahrens led the team with 10 kills and a .529 hitting percentage. Erin Donivan recorded a team-best 11 digs.

Admission is free to all Clemson volleyball home matches at Jervey Gym.