Clemson Volleyball Claims 20th Annual Big Orange Bash Saturday

Aug. 28, 2010

CLEMSON, SC – The Clemson volleyball team won the Big Orange Bash with a 3-0 (25-18, 25-20, 25-21) win over Albany to move to 3-0 on the young season. The Tigers made it through the tournament without dropping a set on the way to the team’s first Big Orange Bash Championship since 2004.

Sophomore Sandra Adeleye was named the tournament MVP after posting 33 kills (3.67 per set) with a .391 hitting pct. Sophomore Serenat Yaz (2.67 kills/set, .305 hitting pct., 4.44 digs/set) and freshman Mo Simmons (2.56 kills/set, 3.11 digs/set, 1.00 blocks/set) were also named to the All-Tournament Team.

Adeleye led all players in the matchup of 2-0 teams on Saturday night, posting 11 kills. Cansu Ozdemir had 17 digs and averaged 4.89 per set for the tournament.

Clemson won the three matches with solid defense, holding each o fthe three opponents to a sub-.100 hitting percentage, and leveling out with a 0.54 average for the three matches. The Tigers averaged 2.78 blocks per set, almost identical to the Clemson mark that led the ACC in blocking a season ago. Sophomore Brooke Kohler was the leader in blocks, posting 15 in the three matches (2.14 per set).

Offensively, Clemson hit .267 as Lacy Hayes and Hannah Brenner both saw significant action. Hayes averaged 9.43 assists per set, and also hit .450. She had eight kills in the final match, while also registering a 2.57 digs per set average.

For the tournament, eight Tigers averaged more than a kill per set, as the balance showed. The final match was a good example, as six players had 12 or more attacks, with none taking more than 28 swings (Adeleye).

Clemson won the first set handily, 25-18. After falling behind, 4-1, Clemson went on an 11-4 run, grabbing the lead and never looking back. Hayes had four kills and 10 assists, while Yaz and Adeleye posted five and four kills, respectively.

The Tigers went into intermission with a 2-0 advantage after coming back from a 13-8 deficit to win the set, 25-20. And 8-2 run gave Clemson a 16-15 lead. There were 11 tie scores in the set, with Clemson taking the lead for good at 19-18. A block form Simmons and Kohler sealed the set as the Tigers went into the locker room. Clemson held Albany to -.027 hitting as they had seven kills and eight errors.

Clemson ran out to a 8-3 lead in the third set. The teams traded points for a while until Albany closed the gap to 19-17 on a Hayes ball handling error. However, the Tigers responded with a 4-1 run on kills from Yaz and Simmons and a solo block from Simmons. Teresa Coppiellie’s serve sailed into the net to clinch Clemson’s final point.

The Tigers return to action next on Friday as they play in the 2010 Carolina Challenge in Rock Hill, SC. The tigers will take on Winthrop, College of Charleston, and South Carolina in the two-day event.

2010 Big Orange Bash All-Tournament Team Alyssa Robertson – Jacksonville Kelsey Gray – Tennessee TechMo Simmons – ClemsonSerenat Yaz – Clemson Casey Wright – Albany Laurie Gonzalez – Albany

MVP – Sandra Adeleye – Clemson