Clemson Sweeps Miami In Friday Volleyball Action

Oct. 3, 2008

CLEMSON, SC – Junior setter Kelsey Murphy tallied 34 assists and led the Clemson volleyball team to a .281 hitting percentage as the Tigers swept Miami (25-19, 25-20, 25-23) at Jervey Gym on Friday night. With the win, the Tigers improved to 10-5 on the year and 2-2 against conference foes. Meanwhile, the Hurricanes dropped to 13-2 overall and 2-2 in the ACC.

Lia Proctor posted a Clemson-best 16 kills and was just one dig shy of a double-double, while Miami, FL native Danielle Hepburn turned in an 11-kill performance. The Tigers recorded 53 digs in the three-set match, holding a Miami team that entered Friday’s match hitting .268 to just a .158 clip.

Lane Carico led the Hurricanes offensively with 16 kills, while Cassie Loessberg tallied 20 defensive saves in the effort.

Miami scored the first two points of the night and held the lead or was tied with the Tigers for most of the first set. The Hurricanes had taken a 17-13 lead on a kill by Ali Becker but Clemson scored four of the next five points to swing the momentum. Carico posted point #19 for Miami, the last the Hurricanes would score in the set. Lia Proctor put a ball down to return the serve to the Tigers and Cansu Ozdemir rattled off the next seven points. Clemson capitalized on several Miami errors during the stretch and ended the set on Hepburn’s fourth and fifth kills of the set.

The Hurricanes struck first in the second set as well, but the Tigers responded right away to take a 6-3 lead. The teams traded the next eight points before Clemson eventually opened up a seven point advantage at 21-14. The Tigers withstood a late Miami rally that narrowed the gap to just three (23-20), during which Carico and Ellis each recorded a pair of kills. Clemson coach Jolene Jordan Hoover called a timeout to regroup her team and the Tigers scored immediately on a Hepburn kill. The senior middle then served up an ace to again record the final points of the set.

Although Clemson opened the third set on a kill by Proctor, the Tigers had trouble defending Ashley Woods’ serve and the Hurricanes quickly led by five. The home team then took advantage of several Miami miscues to inch closer to the Hurricanes. A kill by Jeannette Abbott finally knotted the score at 18-18. However, Miami went back up by two points before Clemson posted three of its own. Back-to-back kills by Abbott and Brittany Fennell put the Tigers on top, 23-21, and Proctor turned in a pair of kills to secure the 25-22 win.

Clemson will return to the court on Saturday night as Florida State comes to town. The Tigers and Seminoles are scheduled to begin play at 6:00 pm at Jervey Gym.