Clemson Volleyball To Conclude 2005 Regular Season Against Hokies And Cavaliers

Nov. 22, 2005

CLEMSON, SC – The Clemson volleyball team (12-16, 7-13) will play its final matches of the 2005 regular season on the road against Virginia Tech and Virginia. The Tigers and Hokies will battle at 5:00 PM on Wednesday, Nov. 23, while Clemson will face the Cavaliers on Friday, Nov. 24 for a 7:00 PM match.

The Tigers are coming off of a tough week of play in which they went five games with two schools and four hard-fought periods with a third. Three Clemson players made the school record books in eight different categories. Jeannette Abbott broke the Clemson record for kills by a freshman in a single season as she has now totaled 478 for 2005. Brittany Ross had the previous best with 472 last year. Ross etched her name in the record books, not just once, but twice last week. The outside hitter from Sunrise, FL recorded 32 kills against Georgia Tech on Nov. 15, which tied the school best for kills in a match, and then she achieved the feat a second time in as many matches with 32 against Maryland on Nov. 18. Libero Anna Vallinch also tied a match-high as she tallied 36 defensive saves against Boston College on Nov. 19. That brought her season total to 504, which moved her into fourth place in the Clemson rankings for digs in a single season. She is also listed ninth for a career with 1,124 in her two seasons as a Tiger. Danielle Hepburn made her mark in the Tiger record books earlier this season, setting the record for blocks by a freshman. She continues to increase her lead in the category as she has now posted 133 total blocks.

Wednesday’s contest will be just the ninth between the Tigers and Virginia Tech and just the second in Blacksburg, VA. The Hokies claimed last year’s match by a score of 3-0 on their home court, and Virginia Tech also defeated Clemson earlier this season, 3-0, at Jervey Gym. The Tigers still lead the overall series score, however, 5-3. Clemson will face an 11-18 Virginia Tech team with a 6-14 mark against conference opposents on Wednesday. The Hokies have a balanced attack as five players have totaled over 200 kills this season. Katie Esbrook ranks second on the team with 316 kills and has a team-best 110 blocks. Setter Melissa Markowski has tallied 1,244 assists in 2005 for a 12.20 assists per game average.

Clemson also holds a 30-11 all-time advantage over Virginia, although the Cavaliers narrowly defeated the Tigers, 3-2, on Oct. 21. Friday’s match will be the 18th played in Charlottesville, VA, with Clemson leading 10-7. The Cavaliers claimed last season’s contest at Memorial Gymnasium, 3-0, in the final week of conference regular season action. Entering this year’s final week, the Virginia Cavaliers boast a 19-10 overall record and a 14-6 mark in ACC play. The Kirkwood sisters of Sarah and Emily lead the team with 492 kills and 1,359 set assists for the season, respectively. They are also a threat from the service line as Sarah has a team-best 66 aces and Emily has posted 43. Four other Cavaliers have accumulated over 250 kills in 2005 and Katie Oaks leads the team at the net with 100 total blocks.

Fans can follow the action via livestats at www.clemsontigers.com.