Tiger Volleyball Picks Up Eighth Consecutive Home Win With Victory Over Virginia Tech At The Clemson Invitational

Sept. 20, 2002

CLEMSON, SC – The Clemson volleyball team picked up its eighth consecutive home win with a 3-0 win over Virginia Tech in their first match of the Clemson Invitational. In the tournament opener, Coastal Carolina defeated Texas Christian University 3-1. With the win, Clemson evens its season record at 6-6, while Virginia Tech also stands at 6-6. Coastal Carolina improved to 6-4 on the season and TCU’s overall record stands at 6-6. Clemson picked up its eighth consecutive home win dating back to last season.

“I am very pleased with the team’s performance tonight. It was a great team effort,” said head coach Jolene Jordan Hoover. “We came out serving aggressively which took Virginia Tech out of their offense. That aggressive play helped us close out the match.”

In Friday’s nightcap, the Tigers defeated Virginia Tech 30-19, 30-17, 30-26, hitting .288 for the match compared to the Hokies’ .034 hitting percentage. Clemson was led by Leslie Finn who posted 11 kills with a .474 hitting percentage and a career-best five service aces, while Jessi Betcher handed out 31 assists with 13 digs. Stephanie Haskell tallied a team-best 15 digs and Marija Zoric led the team at the net with four blocks (one solo). Virginia Tech was led by Annie Spicer with 15 kills, seven digs and four aces, while Melissa Markowski handed out 25 assists with 10 digs and Ana Lang added 12 digs.

The Tigers won game one outhitting the Hokies .419 to .147 with 16 kills to Virginia Tech’s 12 kills. Clemson jumped out to a 6-2 lead but the Hokies closed to within three points at 12-15. The Tigers built the lead to nine (27-18), then closed the game out at 30-19. Leslie Finn and Jessi Betcher handed out 10 assists with four digs. For Virginia Tech, Annie Spicer tallied six kills, and Melissa Markowski had nine assists.

Clemson won game two 30-17, hitting .385 and holding Virginia Tech to a -.171 hitting percentage. The Tigers scored five unanswered points to open the game, then increased the lead to six points (12-6). The Hokies closed the margin to four off a Clemson service error at 14-10, but the Tigers quickly rallied scoring another five unanswered to take a 19-10 edge. Clemson allowed Virginia Tech only seven more points in the game, winning it behind six kills and two service aces. The Tigers’ Finn and Beasley had four kills each, and Betcher dished out 10 assists. Ashton and Swanson recorded two blocks each, and Finn served up three aces. Spicer and Sarah Rogers had two kills each for Virginia Tech, and Stinson and Spicer served up two aces each.

In game three, Clemson again came out strong, building a 19-10 lead. The Hokies rallied, closing the margin to four points at 28-24. The Tigers again regrouped and closed the match out at 30-26 behind kills from Beasley and Jessi Betcher tallied 11 assists. Stephanie Haskell recorded seven digs, and Marija Zoric had two blocks (one solo). For Virginia Tech, Annie Spicer posted seven kills with two service aces. Markowski had 12 assists and nine digs.

In the opening game of the Clemson Invitational, Coastal Carolina defeated Texas Christian University 3-1. The Horned Frogs won game one 30-26, but the Lady Chanticleers rallied to claim the next three games 30-24, 32-30 and 30-25. Coastal Carolina outhit TCU as a team, .179 to .138. The Horned Frogs dominated at the net, recording 15 team blocks to the Lady Chanticleers five team blocks. Coastal Carolina served up five aces while TCU tallied four aces. The Lady Chanticleers recorded 103 defensive saves to the Horned Frogs’ 85 digs.

Coastal Carolina had four players record double-doubles in kills and digs. Jeanne Lambert tallied 19 kills with 14 digs, and Katie Knutson posted 19 kills with a team-high 23 digs. Sarah Bennett had 15 kills with 12 digs, and Carly Draudt added 10 kills with 13 defensive saves. Jennifer Hampton handed out a match-high 61 assists with 20 digs, and Hampton and Draudt each served up two aces. Amy Zeller had an additional 12 digs, and Lauren Wozniak recorded four blocks.

Two TCU players tallied double-doubles in Friday night’s match. Dominika Szabo had 10 kills with 10 digs, and Tori Barlow handed out 49 assists with 13 digs. Erin Estep recorded a match-best 20 kills and .425 hitting percentage. Carissa Mills added 16 kills and Jenn Cuca tallied a match-best 27 digs, while Stephanie Watson led TCU at the net with six blocks.

The Clemson Invitational will resume Saturday morning as the Tigers take on Coastal Carolina at 10:00 AM. TCU faces off against Virginia Tech at noon, then Virginia Tech and Coastal Carolina take the floor at 4:30 PM. Clemson returns to the court at 7:00 PM against Texas Christian University in the tournament’s finale.