Tigers Fall to Duke in Five Sets Friday Night

Oct. 23, 2009

CLEMSON, S.C.- Clemson volleyball fell to Duke on Friday night in five sets, despite a career-high 24 kills from senior Lia Proctor. The Tigers (15-7, 5-5 ACC) will play Wake Forest on Saturday at 7:00 pm in the Dig Pink match.

The Blue Devils (18-4, 8-2 ACC) were led by Rachael Moss, who had 19 kills and hit .350, and Becci Burling, who had 14 kills and ten total blocks. As a team, Duke hit .251, while holding the Tigers to a .151 mark. Duke had 10 service errors, but were able to come back from a 2-1 deficit for the win behind 17.0 total blocks, the most Clemson has hit into all season.

Proctor had her ninth double-double of the season with a career-best 24 kills and 11 digs. Didem Ege had 21 digs to pace the Tigers defensively, becoming only the fourth ACC player to ever pass the 2,100 dig plateau in a career.

Freshman Sandra Adeleye had 14 kills and four blocks, while Alexa Rand had eight kills and eight blocks, her most since she had 10 against Presbyterian on Sept. 18. Rand entered the match in the top 15 nationally in blocks/set, and upped her average tonight.

The Tigers took the first set behind a boisterous 1,269 fans. Duke held a 6-3 lead, but Clemson responded with a 5-0 run behind a pair of kills and a block from Rand. The Tigers were able to hold onto the cushion throughout the set, using another 5-0 run at 18-15 to take a commanding 23-15 lead. A service error by Claire Smalzer sailed wide for the clinching point.

Duke controlled play in the second set, running out to an 11-2 edge. Clemson closed to seven at 13-6, but another run put Duke ahead 24-12. A kill by Burling gave Duke the 25-16 win, knotting the match at one set apiece. Duke held Clemson to a -.061 hitting mark in the set.

Clemson took back control of the match in the third set, battling to take a 25-23 win. With Duke ahead 10-8, Clemson went on a 5-0 run behind Adeleye to take a 13-10 lead. The teams traded points for the rest of the set, and Proctor’s seven kills paced the Tigers.

In the fourth set, Duke evened the match at two apiece with a 25-20 win. Duke went on a decisive 4-0 run while leading 18-15 to go up by seven points. The Tigers fought back, scoring four of the next five points, but a Rachael Moss kills put the set away for good, as the Duke defense registered 5.0 blocks in the set.

In the decisive fifth set, Duke pounded out 11 kills against only one error for a .417 mark. Clemson hit into three blocks in the set, hitting .130. The teams traded points at the beginning of the set. The score was tied six times in the early going. With Clemson ahead 6-5, Duke went on a 3-0 run behind two kills and a block from Burling. Duke held the lead for good, getting ahead by as many as four at 12-8. Clemson answered with two points, the second on Proctor’s career-tying kill. Murphy again found proctor to make the score 13-11, but Duke score the final two points of the set to take the match victory.

Clemson plays Wake Forest on Saturday in a match between two 5-5 ACC teams. Wake lost tonight in three sets at Georgia Tech. Following Saturday’s Dig Pink match, Clemson will go on the road for two straight weekends, the first at NC State and North Carolina.