Clemson Volleyball Set for Duke Friday, Wake Forest Saturday

Oct. 22, 2009

CLEMSON, SC – Clemson volleyball will play host to a crucial weekend of conference matches with Duke (17-4, 7-2 ACC) and Wake Forest (7-13, 5-4 ACC). The Tigers (15-6, 5-4 ACC) will tangle with the second-place Blue Devils at 7:00 pm on Friday, before playing against the Demon Deacons at 7:00 pm on Saturday. Saturday’s Dig Pink match was originally slated for 6:00 pm. Both matches will be broadcast live on www.clemsontigers.com via TigerCast.

TigerCast Links: Friday: Clemson vs. Duke | Saturday: Clemson vs. Wake Forest

Friday night will also mark Girl Scout Night, where the first 100 girl scouts to attend will receive a special badge. Saturday’s match is the annual Dig Pink event, a breast cancer awareness and fund-raising event. Tee shirts will be sold at the Friday and Saturday matches for $10, with all proceeds going to the Side Out foundation. Fans can also make a pledge online or at the match. Clemson has set a goal of $4,500 for the 2009 season.

The Tigers are coming off of a win against Charlotte on Tuesday in which they hit .324 as a team. Freshmen Lia Proctor leads Clemson offensively, averaging 3.62 kills/set, which is second in the ACC.

This is a crucial series for Clemson, as the Blue Devils enter the weekend in second place in the ACC. In recent history, Clemson and Duke have battled for the ACC crown, and every match has been hotly contested. Last season, the teams each won on their respective home floors in four sets. In 2007, Clemson’s ACC championship season, Clemson won both matchups with the Blue Devils, including setting the Jervey attendance record of 2,200.

This season, Duke has suffered only four losses, but two have come in the last three matches. Also, two of their losses have come at the hands of ranked opponents in #1 Penn State and #19 Florida State. They are lead offensively by preseason All-ACC member Rachael Moss, who is averaging 2.94 kills/set. In all, the Blue Devils have five players with more than 125 kills this season, and are hitting .260 as a team, led by setter Kellie Catanach. Defensively, they hold opponents to a .151 hitting mark, the only ACC team better than the Tigers.

Wake Forest has been a tale of two teams. They struggled out of the gate, dropping their first ten decisions overall as they played without their normal libero. Since Megan Thornberry has returned, the Deacons won six in a row, and seven of their next ten overall. They are currently tied with the Tigers in the standings, and this will be the only matchup of the season for Clemson and Wake Forest.

The Demon deacons have a balanced attack, with four players currently averaging more than two kills per set. Setter Kelsey Jones averages just more than ten assists/set, and is relatively aggressive offensively. The Demon Deacons currently allow opponents to hit .216, while hitting .195 themselves.

After their home match with the Devils and Demon Deacons, Clemson will play two straight road series before returning home on Nov. 13 for a match with nationally-ranked Florida State.