Tigers Fall to Wolfpack in Five

Nov. 12, 2011

Raleigh, NC – The Clemson volleyball team dropped a 3-2 (25-19, 23-25, 25-23, 23-25, 11-15) match to N.C. State in Raleigh on Friday. The Tigers fall to 18-9 (10-6 ACC) on the season, while the Wolfpack improve to 18-11 (6-10 ACC) on the year. The loss snapped a 27-match win streak by Clemson over the Wolfpack.

The Tigers have a quick turnaround as they play in Chapel Hill against the Tar Heels at 6:00 pm Saturday in Carmichael Auditorium.

The Tigers were led by Serenat Yaz who posted her 11th double-double of the season. The junior notched 12 kills, 18 digs, four assists, two blocks and one service ace on the night. Mo Simmons and Hannah Brenner also had double-doubles against the `Pack. Simmons recorded her third double-double of the season with 14 kills and 15 digs. She also had one assist, four blocks and a service ace. Brenner posted her team-high 12th double-double of the year, dishing out 43 assists and 10 digs.

Brenner also recorded a season-high six kills, tied her career high in service aces (one), tied her season high in block assists (two) and set a new career high for solo blocks (two). Alexa Rand also recorded a season-high six digs on the night for the Tigers. Sandra Adeleye was one of the three Tigers to record double-digit kills with 16.

In the first set, Clemson used two early runs to jump out to a 10-5 lead over the Wolfpack. The Tigers continued to use solid hitting to push the lead to 20-18, then used a 5-1 run to close out the set. The Tigers hit .314 and held the Wolfpack to just a .125 hitting percentage. Mo Simmons and Sandra Adeleye had five kills each and the Tigers recorded 3.5 blocks to N.C. State’s zero.

The second set began a string of tight sets for the Tigers. The two teams traded points until, with the score tied at 18, the Wolfpack went on a 4-1 run to earn a lead they wouldn’t lose again, going on to win the set 25-23. The Tigers hit .231 in the set, while N.C. State hit .263. Serenat Yaz led the Tigers in set two with five kills and six digs.

The Wolfpack jumped out to an early lead in the third set, until a kill by Mo Simmons sparked a 6-0 Tiger run. Simmons and Sandra accounted for five of the six points, with two kills each and one block assist during that stretch. The Wolfpack fought off three straight set points from the Tigers to bring the score to 24-23, but Simmon’s third kill of the set sealed it for the Tigers. Clemson again held N.C. State to a .125 hitting percentage, while hitting .244 as a team.

The fourth set was a set of runs. The Wolfpack used an early 7-0 run to jump out to a 14-7 lead. The Tigers managed to claw back out of that hole and used a 9-2 run to tie the set at 16. N.C. State then used a 6-0 run to push their lead up to 22-16, but the Tigers then manufactured a 6-1 run to close the gap to 23-22. The teams traded points, but the Wolfpack finished the set on top, winning 25-23.

The fifth and final saw the Tigers capitalize on many Wolfpack mistakes. N.C. State jumped out to an early 5-2 lead, but the Tigers used a Wolfpack service error and a Sandra Adeleye kill to pull it to 5-4. The teams traded two point stretches until a solo block by Hannah Brenner tied the game at 10. N.C. State then went on a 5-1 run to close out the match.