Clemson Volleyball Weekly Release

August 31, 1998

CLEMSON, S.C. – The Clemson volleyball team opens the season Sept. 1, playing host to Georgia at 7 p.m. in Jervey Gym. The Tigers posted a 26-8 record last season, winning Clemson’s first-ever ACC Championship. Clemson enters the 1998 season looking to record its fifth 20-win season under Head Coach Jolene Jordan Hoover and earn its fourth NCAA Tournament bid. The Tigers return nine letterwinners and four starters off the 1997 championship team.

Georgia is returning eight letterwinners and five starters off last season’s team that tallied a 20-12 record. The Bulldogs defeated the Tigers last year in Athens, 3-0.

Defending ACC Champions

The Tigers captured the ACC Championship last season, winning the ACC Tournament in Raleigh, NC. The title was Clemson’s first in the 21-year history of the Tiger volleyball program. Clemson’s victory also marked the first time in ACC history that the fourth-seeded team won the crown.

Hoover Seeking Coaching Record

Head coach Jolene Jordan Hoover needs just 17 victories to surpass former head coach Linda White’s record of 138 wins at the helm of the Tiger program. Hoover has a 121-49 record over her five seasons at Clemson and is 214-80 in her seven years as a head coach. Hoover’s .725 winning percentage places her 17th nationally among Division I head coaches. She ranks third among ACC coaches with 50 league wins. Only one other active ACC coach, Maryland’s Janice Kruger, ranks ahead with 75 wins.

Tigers Receive Votes in National Poll

The Clemson volleyball team received 23 votes in the USA TODAY/AVCA Coaches Top 25 Preseason Poll released August 13.

Tiger on U.S. National Team

Clemson junior middle hitter Cindy Stern competed on the United States National B Team this past summer in various competitions held in Colorado Springs. The daily schedule for the five weeks Stern trained included five hours of practice each weekday, two hours in the morning and three hours each afternoon. During the last week of training, the U.S. team hosted Canada’s national team for nightly competition. “It was an overwhelming experience at first. It was the greatest collection of talent I have ever been around. Playing with that caliber of athletes forced me to compete at a higher level, and that obviously should help my game at Clemson this year.”

Block Party

In 1997, Clemson led the ACC in blocks per game (3.0). Leading the league in blocks per game was Tiger middle hitter Cindy Stern (1.58). Stern also ranked eighth in the nation in blocks per game.

Current Tigers Among Career Leaders

Senior middle hitter Stephanie Schulz ranks sixth among Clemson’s career leaders with 245 block assists. Junior middle hitter Cindy Stern is seventh on the career block assist chart with 238 and ranks eighth with 77 career block solos.

Schulz and Stern rank fourth (.283) and fifth (.279), respectively, on the Clemson career hitting percentage list. Junior outside hitter Alison Coday ranks tenth with a .257 career hitting percentage.

Home, Sweet Home

Clemson was 13-2 in Jervey Gym last season. During the 15 home matches, a total of 10,502 fans gathered to watch the Tigers, giving Clemson the 28th-best home attendance figure among all NCAA schools. Three of Clemson’s 1997 home matches were attended by standing-room only crowds of over 1,000 fans.