Clemson Volleyball Defeated By Virginia Tech, 3-1, On Sunday Afternoon

Oct. 22, 2006

BLACKSBURG, VA – The Clemson volleyball suffered a 3-1 (30-20, 30-26, 26-30, 30-27) defeat to Virginia Tech on Sunday afternoon at the Cassell Coliseum in Blacksburg, VA. With the win, the Hokies improved to 12-9 on the year with a 6-6 mark in ACC play; the Tigers fell to 13-6 overall and 8-3 against ACC opponents.

Jeannette Abbott led all hitters with 22 kills in the match, while Danielle Hepburn contributed 16 kills for the Tiger cause. Hepburn also tallied four block assists to go along with a .429 hitting percentage.

Sarah Munoz led Virginia Tech with 21 kills, and Taylor Parrish added 20 for the Hokies. Virginia Tech recorded a .260 team hitting percentage while also tallying 10 total blocks.

The Hokies utilized a five-point run in the middle of the first game to gain control and claim the 30-20 win. The Tigers were unable to put together rallies of more than two points to respond to the Hokie runs. Hepburn tallied six kills in the game for Clemson, while Taylor Parrish recorded five for Virginia Tech. The Hokies also posted four total blocks in the game to aid their effort.

A tight game two then went to Virginia Tech as well to give the Hokies a 2-0 lead in the match. The teams were tied on 11 occasions in the game, with the lead changing hands six times. The Hokies held the first advantage, but Clemson took over at 9-8. Virginia Tech notched the next two points to recover the lead before the Tigers went back at ahead at 12-10. The Hokies regained the advantage on a Katie Esbrook kill that gave them their 17th point. Then an Abbott service ace put Clemson back on top, 25-24, before Virginia Tech took the final lead, winning 30-26.

Clemson rebounded with a win in game three, 30-26, to force a fourth game. The Hokies again jumped out to an early lead at 10-6 on a five-point run. The Tigers crept back into the game and tied the score at 20 apiece on a block by Meghan Steiner and Leslie Mansfield. The block was the third point of a five-point rally by Clemson that put the Tigers ahead 22-20. The teams were then tied at points 23, 25 and 26 before Clemson closed out the game on a four-point run that included kills by Abbott and Hepburn and a block by Hepburn and Kelsey Murphy.

The Hokies then clinched the match with a 30-27 victory in game four. Virginia Tech took its first lead of the game at 23-22, erasing a Tiger lead that was as large as five points. Clemson went back ahead 24-23 and again at 26-25, but the Hokies rallied for four straight points to take a three-point advantage. Virginia Tech then closed out the game on a Munoz kill for its 12th victory of the season.

The Tigers will return to Jervey Gym next weekend, as they will play host to Wake Forest and Duke. Clemson’s match against the Demon Deacons on Friday night has been designated as a “Dig For A Cure” event. The Tigers will then take on the Blue Devils at 6:00 pm on Saturday evening.