Clemson Sweeps Boston College On Senior Night

Nov. 22, 2008

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CLEMSON, SC – Jeannette Abbott and Danielle Hepburn rose to the occasion on Senior Night, playing in what could be their last game at Jervey Gym and leading their Tiger team to a 3-0 (25-11, 25-16, 25-10) sweep of Boston College on Saturday night. Clemson now boasts a 21-9 overall record with a 13-6 mark in ACC action.

“We are going to miss Dee and Jeannette so much,” said Tiger Head Coach Jolene Jordan Hoover. “They proved tonight just how valuable they have been to the team and this program.”

“I am so happy for them that they played at such a high level, with both hitting over .600, in their last regular season home match.”

Hepburn posted kills on her first nine attempts while Abbott posted 12 kills before recording an error to total 16 and 15, respectively, for the night. Thanks in large part to Hepburn’s .684 hitting percentage and Abbott’s .667 figure, Clemson hit its highest clip of the season at .468 with 46 kills against just 10 errors in 77 attempts.

The two were honored before the match as the team’s only seniors.

“It was emotional knowing that this was probably my last match at Jervey,” Abbott said. “I was just playing to enjoy it with my teammates.”

Hepburn, who holds school career records in four categories, also posted eight total blocks for the Tigers on Saturday.

“It has been a great four years,” the 6’2″ middle said. “I appreciate what Clemson has done for me and the awesome support we’ve received from the fans. I will miss this.”

The match was also noteworthy for junior setter Kelsey Murphy, who moved into third place on the all-time assists list, jumping two spots with her 43 assists on Saturday.

Murphy guided the Tiger offense to a remarkable .552 hitting percentage in the first set as the team recorded just two errors with 18 kills. With 12 digs and three team blocks, Clemson curbed the Boston College attack as well for the 25-11 margin. The Tigers quickly jumped out to a 12-4 lead and stretched it to 13 following a six-point run on the service of Cansu Ozdemir. After the Eagles scored their 11th point, Hepburn posted a kill and then ended the set with a solo block.

With the second set tied at 11-11, Clemson again put together a significant run on Ozdemir’s serve. The Tigers won the next nine points to open up the wide lead. Trailing 24-13, Boston College rallied for three straight points, but the effort came too late as Clemson clinched the set victory with another solo block, this time by Lisa Jedlicka.

Set three was all Tigers, as they allowed Boston College just 10 points in the frame. A Hepburn kill returned the service to Clemson with a 15-10 lead, and Ozdemir served out the remainder of the match, recording a pair of aces during the run. A kill by rookie Morgann Mitchell, the first of her career, scored the final point in a fitting transition from the seniors to the freshmen.

Clemson will wrap up the regular season next Friday afternoon as the Tigers will take on Georgia Tech in Atlanta at 4:00 pm.