Clemson Moves to 6-3 with 3-1 win over Winthrop

Sept. 10, 2011

CHARLESTON, SC – The Clemson volleyball team used a balanced offensive attack to power past a scrappy Winthrop (5-3) club, 3-1 (25-16, 19-25, 25-19, 25-20) on Saturday morning. Five Tigers finished with nine or more kills, and each Tiger setter registered 25 assists as Clemson improved to 6-3 and earned a shot at the College of Charleston Invite Title at 7:00 pm against the Cougars.

Clemson hit .328 as a team, led by Sandra Adeleye’s 13 kills and .545 hitting. Alexa Rand had a season-high 12 kills, and Mo Simmons was one kill shy of tying a career-best with 11 in 28 swings.

Setter Hannah Brenner had her second double-double of the season with 25 assists and 14 digs, while Kamryn Sherman had 25 assists and five digs.

Clemson registered seven aces, but gave up six, after allowing just one over the previous six sets entering the match. The Tigers held Winthrop to .175 hitting, including a .000 mark in the fourth set. The Tigers also registered eight blocks, with Alexa Rand grabbing a hand in five of them, giving her a team-leading 14.5 points.

The Tigers were very efficient in the first set, hitting .571 and earning a quick, 25-16 win. Simmons and Adeleye had four kills apiece and Karis Watson, Kristin Faust, and Serenat Yaz added three each.

Faust and Yaz each finished with nine kills in the match, and Faust hit an impressive .375 for the match from the outside.

Winthrop clawed back in the second set, going on a huge, 11-1 run to turn an 8-7 deficit into an 18-9 lead. Clemson got back to within four at 23-19 after a pair of Rand blocks, but the Tigers could get no closer as the Eagles hit .300 in the set, led by Carolyn Weed’s terrific line of seven kills in nine swings. Simmons and Adeleye each had four kills in the set again, but the Eagles prevailed, 25-19 to know the match at 1-1.

Clemson started attacking the middle in the third set, with Adeleye and Rand each registering four kills. The Tigers hit .371 in the set. Clemson jumped out to an 11-3 lead. Winthrop closed to within three, but a Hoover timeout sent Clemson on a 6-1 run to again regain control. The Tigers closed with a 25-19 win , and hit into only one error.

The Tigers put the match away in the fourth set, using a 5-0 run on Brenner’s serve to take a 14-8 lead. Clemson tightened the screws defensively, holding the Eagles to just seven kills and .000 hitting in 31 swings. Meanwhile, Rand was a perfect 5-for-5 on her attacks to give the Tigers a 25-20 set win and the match.