Tiger Volleyball Posts 3-0 Victory Over Florida State On Saturday

Sept. 30, 2006

CLEMSON, SC – Junior Meghan Steiner led the Clemson volleyball team to a 3-0 victory over Florida State on Saturday afternoon at Jervey Gym. The middle blocker from Crystal Lake, IL recorded a team-high 14 kills with just two errors for a .462 hitting percentage, while also posting five block assists.

The win was the Tigers’ third straight over an ACC opponent, improving their conference record to 3-1 and their overall ledger to 8-4. The loss was Florida State’s first against an ACC foe this season, dropping the Seminoles to 4-1 in the league and 10-4 overall.

“It was a big weekend for us, going 2-0 at home against two very good,” Clemson Head Coach Jolene Jordan Hoover said. “I am proud of how the team battled. To start off 2-0 against Miami and Florida State gives us a big advantage in the league.”

Clemson libero Didem Ege tallied 23 defensive saves in the contest, while Jeannette Abbott and Danielle Hepburn had 12 and 11 kills, respectively.

Florida State’s Makini Thompson led all hitters with 18 kills on Saturday and Brianna Barry added 11 in the effort.

The Tigers erased an early four-point deficit in the first game, as they knotted the score at 11-11 and took a two-point lead on the service of Hepburn. The teams were then tied 12 times before Clemson scored the final two points for the 32-30 victory. The Tigers scored their 29th point on a kill by Lia Proctor, but the Seminoles blocked a Clemson attack to regain the serve. After both teams recorded their 30th points, a Clemson block put the Tigers on top 31-30 and they sealed the game on a service ace by Kelsey Murphy.

The second game remained tight as well, as only four runs of more than two points were put together by either team. Florida State’s four-point rally gave the Seminoles a 14-13 advantage and they went up 17-15 on a kill by Sarah Griffen. Clemson took the lead at 18-17 and the teams traded the next 10 points before the Tigers went ahead by two points on another Murphy ace. Clemson then survived a three-point run by the Seminoles for the 30-27 victory.

Florida State scored the first two points of the third game and held an early 7-4 lead. However, the Tigers posted the next three points on kills by Abbott and Steiner and a block by Steiner and Leslie Mansfield. The score remained tight throughout the game before Clemson took a three-point lead at 26-23. The Seminoles scored the next two points, but the Tigers went on a second three-point rally for the four-point advantage. Florida State then went on its own run to tie the score at 29-29. A kill by Mansfield put Clemson ahead by one, while Griffen’s ninth kill gave the Seminoles their final point of the afternoon. The Tigers won the game, 32-30, for their eighth victory of the season.

Clemson will travel north next weekend to take on the Boston College Eagles in Chestnut Hill, MA on Friday night and the Terrapins of Maryland on Sunday afternoon in College Park, MD.