Clemson Volleyball Opens 2009 Season with South Carolina on Friday

Aug. 26, 2009

CLEMSON, SC (ClemsonTigers.com) – The Clemson Volleyball Team will begin their 2009 slate on Friday night when they play host to the South Carolina Gamecocks at 7:00 pm in a Solid Orange Event. The match is part of the 19th annual Big Orange Bash, which includes the Tigers, Gamecocks, College of Charleston, and Winthrop in a grouping of in-state rivals.

Watch Clemson vs. South Carolina Live on TigerCast!

The Clemson-South Carolina match is the first Solid Orange event of the 2009-10 athletic year. Fans are encouraged to arrive early, and will all receive pom poms at the match for use at all Clemson events. The match will be broadcast live via the internet, and fans can track the game using livestats through the tournament home page. Admission is free to all home volleyball matches this season.

In the two day, round-robin tournament, Clemson will host South Carolina at 7:00 pm on Friday, Winthrop at noon and College of Charleston at 6:00 pm on Saturday. In the other matches, Winthrop and College of Charleston will kick off the Bash on Friday at 5:00 pm. The Cougars and Gamecocks will meet at 10:00 am on Saturday, and the Eagles and Gamecocks will play at 4:00 pm Saturday.

The Tigers own a combined 49-60 record against the 2009 Big Orange Bash Tournament field. The four teams each met a season ago at the Carolina Classic in Columbia, SC. The Tigers defeated Winthrop and College of Charleston, 3-0, but fell to the Gamecocks in a five-set affair that went all the way to 18-16 in the final set.

The Big Orange Bash will be the season opener for all four teams involved. Last year, South Carolina finished with a 21-9 overall record and finished fifth in the SEC. College of Charleston was 27-7 and won the Southern Conference a year ago, while Winthrop posted an 11-18 record in 2008.

The Tigers feature three preseason All-ACC picks in seniors Lia Proctor, and Didem Ege. They also return starters Brittany Fennell and Cansu Ozdemir from a team which finished third in the ACC and reached the second round of the NCAA tournament a season ago.

Big Orange Bash Full Schedule

Friday, August 28 Winthrop vs. College of Charleston………. 5:00 pm Clemson vs. South Carolina………. 7:00 pm*

Saturday, August 29 College of Charleston vs. South Carolina………. 10:00 am Clemson vs. Winthrop………. 12:00 pm South Carolina vs. Winthrop………. 4:00 pm Clemson vs. College of Charleston………. 6:00 pm

*Solid Orange Event