Clemson Volleyball Rolls In 3-0 Victory Over East Tennessee State In First Round Of Clemson Invitational

Sept. 19, 2003

CLEMSON, SC – The Clemson volleyball team won its sixth consecutive match on Friday night, rolling to a 3-0 victory over East Tennessee State University in the first round of the Clemson Invitational. The Tigers improve to 9-5 on the season, while the Buccaneers season record is 1-10. In the first match of the evening, the University of Illinois-Chicago defeated Charleston Southern 3-0 to improve to 9-3 on the season while Charleston Southern falls to 9-3 overall.

In Friday’s nightcap, Clemson defeated East Tennessee State by scores of 30-16, 30-14 and 30-15. The Tigers hit .551 as a team, a percentage that ranks second on Clemson’s all-time list for best hitting percentage in a match. The Tigers held East Tennessee State to a .119 hitting percentage, while serving up seven aces with 11 team blocks.

Individually, Leslie Finn posted a match-high 17 kills with two service aces and five digs. Lori Ashton recorded a career-best .667 hitting percentage with 14 kills and two errors in 18 attempts. Stephanie Haskell handed out 36 assists, and Lindsey Abbott posted 10 digs. Ryane Beasley hit .600 with a team-best three blocks (one solo).

East Tennessee State’s Kelsey Sherich tallied 12 kills, while Karen Freeburg added five kills with eight digs. Kristi Robinson dished out 14 assists, and Kristi Robinson and Lissa Allen served up one ace each.

In the first match of the tournament, Illinois-Chicago defeated Charleston Southern by scores of 30-25, 30-21 and 30-21. Kristi Herrington led the Flames with 11 kills, a .421 hitting percentage and eight blocks (three solo). Teaha Shepperd added 13 kills with two service aces and four blocks. Catherine Roy also hit .421 with 10 kills, 12 digs and two service aces. Meghan Keck handed out 36 assists with six digs, and Camille Mankus added three service aces with seven digs.

Charleston Southern was led by Becky Miller who tallied eight kills with three digs and two blocks, while Allyn Beam and Tori Owens added seven kills each. Owens and Beam also posted 10 digs, while Katie O’Riordan had six kills with 25 assists and two service aces.

The Clemson Invitational concludes tomorrow with four matches beginning with a 10:00 AM Illinois-Chicago versus East Tennessee State showdown. The Tigers return to the court at 12:00 PM as they face Charleston Southern. The third round is slated to begin at 4:30 PM with East Tennessee State and Charleston Southern, then Clemson and Illinois-Chicago conclude the tournament at 7:00 PM.