Tigers Collect Two Victories in Clemson Classic

Sept. 14, 2007

CLEMSON, SC- The Clemson volleyball team posted two wins on the first day of the Clemson Classic, defeating Kent State (31-29, 31-29, 30-22) as well as Appalachian State (30-26, 30-18, 30-19).

Middle hitter Danielle Hepburn posted 18 kills in the win over Kent State on Friday afternoon. Hepburn also boasted a .485 hitting percentage for the match. Didem Ege led the Tiger defense with 23 digs, while setter Kelsey Murphy tallied 48 assists and seven total blocks.

Clemson got off to a sluggish start in the first game, as Kent State held the lead the majority of the game. With the score tied at 29, Clemson scored the final two points of the game to collect the win. Kent State once again took an early lead in the second game, but the Tigers were able to rebound and pull out another close victory. The momentum carried over to the third game for Clemson, who led by eight at one point. With the score tied at 15, Clemson reeled off 5 straight points and held the lead for the remainder of the game. Jeannette Abbott secured the victory for the Tigers with an ace to end the match.

The Golden Flashes were led by Anja Knabe-Paulsen with 14 kills. Kent State’s record now stands at 9-2.

In the evening match, Clemson defeated Appalachian State in three games. With the win, the Tigers improved their record to 6-2 for the season. The loss dropped the Mountaineers to 2-11.

Lia Proctor led the Tigers with 11 kills, with Lesile Mansfield and Hepburn each chipping in 10. Ege once again led the Tigers defensively, notching a game-high 15 digs. Kelsey Murphy chipped in with 30 assists in the win.

The Tigers took an early lead in the first game, but Appalachian State rallied back to make the game more competitive. Clemson started game two by reeling off 11 consecutive points before an attack error by Proctor put the Mountaineers on the board. Appalachian State was plagued by service errors throughout, giving the Tigers a comfortable victory.

Brittany Zahn led Appalachian State with 14 kills.

In other tournament action, Georgia State defeated Appalachian State in three games (30-20, 30-28, 30-28), which improved their record to 8-5 on the season.

Georgia State was led by Ana Paula Ferreira with 12 kills, followed by Jocelyn Waldern who totaled 10 for the match. Noelle Boyd tallied 40 assists, and Amy Lusk recorded 14 digs.

The Tigers return to the court tomorrow morning at 11:00 to face the Panthers of Georgia State. The Clemson Classic wraps up tomorrow with Appalachian State playing Kent State at 1:00 pm, and Georgia State facing Kent State at 6:00 pm.