Clemson Volleyball Downs Miami, 3-0, For Eighth Straight Win

Oct. 5, 2007

CORAL GABLES, FL – The Tiger volleyball team matched its best start to the ACC season with a 3-0 (30-13, 30-28, 30-27) victory over Miami in Coral Gables, FL on Friday night. The win was Clemson’s eighth straight overall and its fifth consecutive in conference play, improving the Tigers to 12-2 on the year and 5-0 in the conference.

The 1999 Clemson team opened its ACC schedule, 5-0, en route to a 15-1 league ledger and the Tigers’ regular season conference title.

Setter Kelsey Murphy led the Tigers to their fourth straight win over the Hurricanes (8-7, 2-4 ACC), tying her career high with seven kills and setting a season-best hitting percentage with a .467 figure on Friday. The sophomore from New Lenox, IL also posted seven total blocks in the contest, while tallying seven digs and 34 assists.

Jeannette Abbott had a team-best 12 kills for the Clemson offense, and Danielle Hepburn and Didem Ege led the Tiger defense with six blocks and 16 defensive saves, respectively.

Miami’s Genny Mayhew recorded a match-high 15 kills in the contest.

Clemson opened the match with a strong first game, downing the Hurricanes by a 30-13 for the 1-0 lead in the match. They led early at 12-4 and then scored eight of the final 11 points of the frame. The Tigers also held Miami to a negative hitting percentage, helped by Hepburn’s four blocks in the game, while posting a .303 figure themselves.

The second game was a closer affair but the Tigers again came out on top, 30-28. Miami led for much of the stanza before Clemson posted three straight points to take a 20-19 advantage. The score was then tied six times before the Tigers closed out the game. It was knotted at 27 apiece when the Hurricanes went up by a point. However, Clemson went on another three-point run, which included an Abbott kill and a Hepburn ace, to take the 2-0 lead in the match.

Miami scored the first three points of the third game but could not sustain the lead. The Tigers caught the Hurricanes at point 10 and then took a four-point advantage at 17-13. They remained in control as Miami was able to tie the score but never regain the lead. Hepburn sealed the victory for Clemson with her fifth kill of the match.

The Tigers will continue their road trip with a date against Florida State on Sunday afternoon. Clemson and the Seminoles are slated for a 1:00 pm start time from Tallahassee, FL.