Clemson Volleyball Wins Final Two Matches At Big Orange Bash

Sept. 8, 2001

Stats

CLEMSON, S.C. – The Clemson Tigers wrapped up the 2001 Big Orange Bash, and improved to 4-3 on the season, as they defeated Appalachian State 3-0 in the final match of the tournament. Wright State captured the tournament title with wins over Clemson, Appalachian State and UNC Wilmington. Clemson concluded the tournament as the runner-up with a 2-1 tournament record. UNC Wilmington went 1-2 and Appalachian State finished 0-3 on the weekend.

Wright State setter Mandy Gels was named the Big Orange Bash MVP, while Tricia Naseman (Wright State), Jodi Steffes (Clemson), Jessi Betcher (Clemson), Danielle Kerns (UNC Wilmington) and Jackie Jennings (Appalachian State) were all-tournament team honorees.

In the first match of the day, Clemson defeated UNC Wilmington 3-0 (30-22, 31-29, 30-15). The Tigers hit a season-high .402, while the Seahawks were held to a .162 hitting percentage.

Clemson was led by Jodi Steffes tallied 10 kills with a .364 hitting percentage, and sophomore Jessi Betcher dished out a match-high 41 assists with seven digs and two service aces. Lindsey Abbott, Meredith Kirtland and Stephanie Haskell each recorded nine defensive saves for the Tigers.

UNC Wilmington’s Heather White and Baily Lee tallied 11 kills each to pace the Seahawks. Ginger Bradbury handed out 29 assists with seven digs, and Erin Fowler and Heather White added seven more defensive saves each.

In the noon match, Wright State defeated Appalachian State in straight games (30-28, 30-19, 30-26). The Raiders hit .115, while the Mountaineers hit .051 for the match.

Wright State was led by Tricia Naseman and Liza Osterhage, who recorded seven kills each. Mandy Gels handed out a match-high 26 assists with 10 digs and three service aces. Naseman and Andrea Voss tallied five service aces each, and Osterhage led the Raiders at the net with three blocks.

The Mountaineers’ Claire Reynolds led the team with eight kills and a .357 hitting percentage. Reynolds and Rachel Moore tallied four service aces, and Jackie Jennings recorded a match-high seven blocks (one solo). Karen Nielson had a team-best seven digs, while Amber Mangrum dished out 24 assists for Appalachian State.

Wright State picked up its sixth win of the season with a 3-0 (30-13, 30-13, 30-11) victory over UNC Wilmington. The Raiders recorded a .414 hitting percentage, while UNC Wilmington hit -.058 for the match.

Liza Osterhage and Tricia Naseman led the Raiders with 12 and 11 kills, respectively. Naseman tallied a .500 (11-2-18) hitting percentage, while Osterhage hit .455 (12-2-22) for the match. Mandy Gels recorded a match-high 40 assists, and Andrea Voss had a team-best 11 digs and four service aces. Osterhage also led the Raiders with four (one solo) blocks. With the victory, Wright State improved to 6-1 overall.

Baily Lee led the Seahawks with five kills while Erin Fowler and Heather White added four kills each. Ginger Bradbury recorded eight assists with nine digs. UNC Wilmington concluded the tournament with a 5-2 overall record.

In the final match of the tournament, Clemson defeated Appalachian State 30-25, 30-15 and 30-28. The Tigers hit .202 for the match, while Appalachian State had a hitting percentage of .081.

Clemson was led by Jodi Steffes who tallied nine kills each, hitting .571 and .412, respectively. Jessi Betcher dished out 26 assists with seven kills and a .636 hitting percentage. Steffes recorded five service aces and Meredith Kirtland tallied a team-best eight digs. Anne Berki led the team in blocking with five blocks (one solo).

The Mountaineers’ Karen Nielson and Jackie Jennings tallied seven kills each, while Amber Mangrum dished out 26 assists. Nielson also led the team in service aces with four, and Alexis Mosley recorded a team-best eight digs. With the loss to Clemson, Appalachian State dropped to 0-7 on the season.

Clemson (4-3) plays host to the University of South Carolina Wednesday night at Jervey Gym. The match is scheduled to begin at 7:00 p.m.