Clemson Volleyball To Play Host To Clemson Invitational Friday and Saturday

The Clemson Tiger volleyball team will play host to the Clemson Invitational Friday and Saturday in Jervey Gym.

The tournament begins at 4:30 p.m. Friday as Coastal Carolina and TCU take the court. The Tigers will play Virginia Tech on Friday night at 7:00 p.m. and return to the court Saturday morning at 10:00 a.m. against Coastal Carolina. At noon on Saturday, TCU and Virginia Tech will square off, followed by Virginia Tech and Coastal Carolina at 4:30 p.m. The tournament will conclude on Saturday evening at 7:00 p.m. as the Tigers face TCU.

The Tigers captured the Clemson Invitational title in 1999 with wins over Illinois State (3-0) and Furman (3-0). Senior Jessi Betcher was a member of the All-Tournament Team, after recording 69 assists, five kills and nine digs.

Clemson enters the tournament with a 5-6 overall record, after sweeping Wofford on Wednesday night. With the win over the Terriers, the Tigers boast a perfect 5-0 home record this season, and extend their home winning streak to seven-in-a-row dating back to last season. Sophomore Jessi Betcher has recorded a team-high 130 digs and has handed out 461 assists. Betcher needs only 89 assists to break the career record of 4,305 career assists set by Michelle Thieke-Young in 1997. Sophomore Ryane Beasley is second on the team in kills with 135, and freshman Carly Hill has served up a team-best 18 aces.

Coastal Carolina enters this weekend’s tournament with a 5-4 record, after posting a 1-2 record last weekend in the Coastal Carolina Classic. The Lady Chanticleers are led by Jeanne Lambert with 131 kills, 186 digs and a .237 hitting percentage. Jennifer Hampton has handed out a team-best 353 assists and Carly Draudt leads Coastal Carolina with 19 blocks (3 solo). Katie Knutson has tallied 85 kills and 106 digs, while Lauren Wozniak has posted 18 blocks. The Tigers own a 5-0 record against the Lady Chanticleers and a 40-14 record against teams in the Big South Conference.

The Horned Frogs are 6-5 entering this weekend’s tournament, after dropping a 3-0 decision to North Texas on Tuesday. TCU is led by Dominika Szabo who has recorded 139 kills, 117 digs and 15 blocks (two solo). Jenn Cuca is second on the team in kills and digs with 89 and 108, respectively. Erin Estep leads the Horned Frogs at the net with 25 blocks (three solo), and Tori Barlow has handed out 443 assists. Clemson and TCU have never met on the court before, however the Tigers are 39-21 against teams from Conference USA, including a win over East Carolina this season.

The Hokies enter this weekend with a 6-5 record, having lost to Tennessee Tuesday night. Virginia Tech is led by Ana Lang with 129 kills and 118 digs. Cheryl Stinson leads the Hokies at the net with 46 total blocks (10 solo) and has recorded 103 kills, while Annie Spicer has tallied 106 digs and is second on the team in kills with 113. Melissa Markowski has handed 426 assists and tallied 88 digs. The Tigers are 3-1 against Virginia Tech, and 12-11 against teams from the Big East. Clemson and Virginia Tech last me on the court in 1996 when the Tigers swept the Hokies 3-0.

Admission to all Clemson home volleyball matches in Jervey Gym is free to the public.