Clemson Volleyball Defeats Furman 3-0 In Home Opener

Sept. 3, 2003

CLEMSON, S.C. – The Clemson volleyball team defeated Furman 3-0 in its 2003 home opener on Wednesday night at Jervey Gym. Tonight’s win was the Tigers’ 31st consecutive victory over the Paladins, and Clemson is now 16-0 against Furman at Jervey Gym. Clemson is 21-6 all-time in season home openers, and under head coach Jolene Jordan Hoover, the Tigers are 10-1 in home openers.

Clemson claimed the first game 35-33, behind seven kills from rookie Liz Beckham. The Tigers jumped out to a 5-1 lead before the Paladins battled back to tie the game at seven each. The teams would trade lead changes nine times in the first game, and Furman held three game points before Clemson tallied two kills and a block solo to knot the score once more at 29-29. The teams traded points until a Leslie Finn kill and Lori Ashton ace sealed the game for Clemson.

Game two proved to be as exciting as game one, with Clemson again edging Furman, 33-31. Once again, Beckham led Clemson, posting 11 kills with eight digs and two blocks (one solo). The second stanza was tighter from the start, with 21 scoring ties and another nine lead changes. The largest advantage either team held was three points, when Clemson put together a four-point run early in the game. The score remained tied from 27 all through 31 all. Block assists by Ashton, Beckham and Stephanie Haskell along with a kill by Beckham capped off the second game.

The Tigers took an early lead in the final game, capturing the match with a 30-20 game three win. Ryane Beasley paced Clemson with eight kills and a .636 hitting percentage. Six consecutive kills, including two each by Beasley, Beckham and Ashton, gave Clemson a seven-point lead the Tigers never relinquished.

For the match, Clemson hit .270 as a team, while holding Furman to a .157 hitting percentage. The Tigers tallied 56 assists to the Paladins’ 41, and Clemson had 55 digs to Furman’s 42 defensive saves. The Tigers tallied 21 blocks (five solo) while holding the Paladins to 13 blocks. Both teams served up five aces.

The Tigers were led by Ashton’s 14 kills and .579 hitting percentage. Ashton also tallied a career-high eight blocks (three solo). Beasley added 13 kills with a .385 hitting percentage, and Beckham recorded her second career double-double with 13 kills and 11 digs. Stephanie Haskell handed out a match-best 35 assists, and Lindsey Abbott tallied 15 digs.

Furman’s Amber Montague led the Paladins with 12 kills and seven digs, and Julia Fredrickson posted 10 kills. Molly Ryback recorded 21 assists, and Michelle Cauldwell added another 16 assists. Ally Hock had a team-best 15 digs with five blocks (one solo), and Caitlin White had a team-best six blocks (one solo).

With tonight’s win, the Tigers improve to 1-3 on the season, while the Paladins fall to 0-4. Clemson returns to action on Friday at 1:00 PM, as the Tigers face College of Charleston in the first round of the 2003 Big Orange Bash.