Tigers Fall In Five Games To Virginia In Friday Night Volleyball Action

Oct. 21, 2005

CLEMSON, SC – The Clemson volleyball team lost a heart-breaking five-game match to the Virginia Cavaliers on Friday night (30-22, 27-30, 30-25, 22-30, 15-11). The Tigers forced the fifth game after trailing 2-1 following the third game, but the Cavaliers pulled out the victory, 15-11, in the final game. With the win, Virginia improved to 13-6 for the season, with an 8-2 mark in ACC play. Clemson fell to 9-9 overall and 4-6 against conference competition.

Brittany Ross led the Tigers with 19 kills, while Danielle Hepburn hit a team-best .452. As a team, Clemson posted 12 total team blocks and were led by Laura Boozer with six. The Cavaliers’ Sarah Kirkwood led all hitters with 23 kills while hitting .308 in the match.

The Tigers stayed with Virginia in the first game until the Cavaliers pulled ahead 29-20, scoring six points on Kirkwood’s serve. Virginia went on to win the game, 30-22. Clemson responded in game two, claiming a 30-27 win to tie the match at 1-1. The Tigers were down 18-14 but tied the score at 23-23. Clemson then scored nine of the last 12 points for the 30-27 victory.

The Cavaliers then went up two games to one with a 30-25 win in the third game, but the Tigers forced the fifth game by claiming the fourth game, 30-22. The score was tied at 12 apiece before Clemson pulled at 17-12. The Tigers held their lead to tie them match at two games all.

In the fifth game, Virginia took an early 6-2 lead and then held an 11-4 advantage. Clemson scored seven additional points to close the gap before the Cavaliers clinched the win by a score of 15-11.

The Tigers will play host to the Virginia Tech Hokies on Saturday, Oct. 22 at 5:30 PM in Jervey Gym. Fans can follow the action via livestats by accessing www.clemsontigers.com.