Tigers Head To #20 Penn State For Non-Conference Finale

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. – Clemson (4-5) heads to Penn State (5-3), to take on the No. 20 Nittany Lions, Howard (8-3) and Rhode Island (4-5) in its final non-conference tournament of the season. Both, Leah Perri and Keely Hayes enter the weekend ranking among the best in the nation.

The Tigers open the Penn State Tournament with a 5:00 p.m., matchup on Friday, September 16 with 2015 NCAA Tournament participant, Howard. Howard lost to Penn State in three sets in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament last year. On Saturday, September 17, Clemson begins the day with a 1:00 p.m., contest against Rhode Island before squaring off with the host, Penn State at 7:00 p.m.

In 2015, Perri started every match and recorded five contests in which she finished with 20-plus kills. Through nine matches this season, the senior already has five matches with 20 kills or more, including the top two offensive performances registered by a student-athlete in the ACC. She currently ranks 12^th in the nation in kills (170), 13^th in points (195.5) and 15^th in attacks (440). Her kill total and 4.25 kills per set average are both atop the ACC. Perri’s 170 kills this season fuels the ACC’s second best kill total as well, as Clemson has 487 on the season.

Hayes has set Perri and the Tigers to 411 assists, ranking her 16^th in the nation and second in the conference. Her 10.27 assists per set is the fourth best average in the conference and her 66 assists against Wofford is still one of the top performances yet as it’s the fourth highest total recorded in the country and the most by an ACC setter.

Clemson is one of the top serving teams in the ACC as its 59 aces and 1.48 aces per set rank second in the conference. Senior, Sydney Moseley leads Clemson’s serving effort with 13 aces, ranking her third in the conference. Perri and Ally Gamble are the other two Tigers with service ace totals in double figures. Perri has 12 to her credit while Gamble has 10. The Tigers also own the third most blocks in the conference with 88 on the year. Megan McGinley leads the team with 44 blocks in her sophomore campaign, ranking her third in the ACC.