Clemson Volleyball To Travel To Wake Forest On Tuesday

Oct. 13, 2002

CLEMSON, S.C. – The Clemson volleyball team will travel to Winston-Salem, NC to take on the Wake Forest Demon Deacons on Tuesday, Oct. 15. First serve is slated for 6:00 PM.

Clemson is 13-8 overall and 4-2 in the ACC entering Tuesday evening’s match. The Tigers most recently dropped a five-game heartbreaker to 21st-ranked Georgia Tech on Oct. 11 at Jervey Gym. It was just the second loss in Clemson’s last 11 matches, and both losses have been to top-25 ranked teams in five games. So far this season, the Tigers have defeated Virginia, Maryland, Florida State and NC State in league play, but have lost to #11 North Carolina 3-2 and #21 Georgia Tech 3-2.

The Tigers are led by sophomore Lori Ashton, who has tallied 317 kills with a 3.77 kills per game average and a .373 hitting percentage. She also ranks second on the team in blocks with 61 and a 0.73 blocks per game average. Marija Zoric leads all Clemson players at the net with 96 blocks (19 solo) and a 1.22 blocks per game average. Zoric also ranks second on the team in hitting percentage (.317), while Leslie Finn ranks second in kills per game with a 3.15 average and 255 kills. Jessi Betcher has a team-best 986 assists with an 11.74 assists per game average, and also leads the team in digs with 258 and a 3.07 digs per game average. Freshman Carly Hill has served up a team-high 36 aces for a 0.45 per game average, and Stephanie Haskell ranks second on the team in digs with 193 and a 2.76 digs per game average. As a team, Clemson is hitting .245 with a 14.64 kills per game average, along with 13.42 assists per game, 14.32 digs per game and 2.10 blocks per game.

Wake Forest enters Tuesday’s match with a 9-10 overall mark and a 3-3 record in the ACC. The Demon Deacons split last weekend’s matches, losing 3-0 to North Carolina but defeating NC State 3-1. So far this season, Wake Forest has defeated NC State, Duke and Virginia in league play, but lost decisions to North Carolina (3-0), Maryland (3-1) and Florida State (3-1).

The Demon Deacons are led by Valerie Rydberg’s 212 kills and 215 digs. Ashlee Phillips has a .359 hitting percentage and has handed out 792 assists, while Rydberg has served up a team-high 32 aces. Kim Stern leads the Demon Deacons at the net with 58 blocks, and Jessica Hauff ranks second on the team with 56 blocks.