Tiger Volleyball Travels To Auburn, AL For Weekend Tournament

Sept. 15, 2005

CLEMSON, SC – The Clemson volleyball team (3-2) will travel to Auburn, AL for the Mizuno/Auburn Challenge on Sept. 16-17. Along with host Auburn, the Tigers will face Alabama A&M and Furman in the weekend tournament.

Clemson will meet the Bulldogs of Alabama A&M (2-5) on Friday, Sept. 16 at 4:00 pm eastern time, 3:00 pm locally. The Tigers won the only previous meeting between the two schools back in 1979, which was also played on a neutral court.

Clemson and Furman (3-4) will take to the court at 11:00 AM EST (10:00 CST) on Saturday, Sept. 17. The Tigers have claimed all 32 prior meetings between the teams, including a 3-1 victory over the Paladins on Oct. 5, 2004 in Greenville, SC.

Against the Tigers of Auburn (3-2), Clemson holds a 13-3 advantage in the series score. The 17th contest will be played at 8:00 PM EST (7:00 PM CST) on Sept. 17. Clemson won the last match between Tigers, which was played in Auburn, by a score of 3-1 on Sept. 15, 2000. Clemson has also edged Auburn, 2-1, all-time in matches played at the Student Activities Center on the Auburn University campus.

Freshman Jeannette Abbott continues to lead Clemson with 75 kills, while Brittany Ross has contributed 68 for the Tigers. Rookie Laura Boozer is hitting a team-high 52.9% with 19 kills in 34 attempts and just one error. She is also one of six Tigers in double figures for total blocks. Danielle Hepburn, another newcomer, leads the team in that category with 17 blocks in 14 games. As a team, Clemson is averaging 2.88 blocks per game. The Tigers have also posted 41 service aces in their five matches, led by Meghan Stanton’s 13. Libero Anna Vallinch has a team-high 89 defensive saves, while setter Courtney Lawrence has tallied 169 assists.

Fans may follow Clemson’s match against Auburn by accessing livestats on www.auburntigers.com.