Tigers Sweep College Of Charleston On Saturday In Carolina Challenge

Sept. 13, 2008

COLUMBIA, SC – The Clemson volleyball team swept the College of Charleston (25-19, 28-26, 25-18) early Saturday afternoon to wrap up action in the Carolina Challenge, held at the Volleyball Competition Facility on the campus of the University of South Carolina. The Tigers (6-3) finished second in the event, and Danielle Hepburn and Lia Proctor were named to the all-tournament team for the second straight weekend.

The host Gamecocks won the tournament with a 3-0 record, while the Cougars (5-4) finished third and Winthrop Eagles placed fourth.

Hepburn led Clemson against the Cougars with 15 kills and six total blocks. The senior from Miami, FL did not have a hitting error until the third set. Jeannette Abbott also posted double figures in kills with 10 while setter Kelsey Murphy tallied 32 assists in the match.

Clemson’s middles accounted for 11 of the team’s 16 kills in the opening set, and neither had an error in helping the Tigers to a .419 hitting percentage. The set was well played overall as the Cougars committed just three hitting errors of their own. Hepburn recorded consecutive kills, teamed with Kelsey Murphy on a block and then had a solo block to put Clemson on top 15-10. The Tigers traded points with the College of Charleston for much of the remainder of the set, but scored the final three for the 25-18 win.

After holding an early seven-point advantage, Clemson eked out the 28-26 victory in set two. The Tigers held onto the lead until late in the set as the Cougars caught up at 22-22 after rallying for four straight. Clemson recorded the next two points, but the College of Charleston responded with two of its own to avoid a pair of set points. A service error scored point #25 for the Tigers, but they didn’t immediately capitalize on the miscue. The Cougars tied the match and took the one-point lead. Proctor returned the serve to Clemson with a block and the Tigers recorded two more to clinch the set and a 2-0 lead.

Clemson jumped out to an early lead again in the third set (11-3) and held off the College of Charleston for the 25-18 win. The Cougars again threatened to overtake the Tigers after narrowing the margin to four at 17-13. Yet, Clemson remained in control as Hepburn posted three kills in the final eight points, including the 24th of the set. A service error by the College of Charleston sealed the Tigers’ sixth win of the season.

The Tigers will be back in action on Thursday, Sept. 18 as they kick off the Clemson Classic and ACC season against Georgia Tech at 7:00 pm. The team will also play a pair of tournament matches against Florida A&M in over the weekend.

Carolina Challenge Results

1st – South Carolina (3-0) 2nd – Clemson (2-1) 3rd – College ofCharleston (1-2) 4th – Winthrop (0-3)

All-Tournament Team

MVP Ivana Kujundzic, South Carolina Most Outstanding LiberoSarah Cline, South Carolina Bridget Denson-Dorman, South CarolinaBelita Salters, South Carolina Danielle Hepburn, Clemson LiaProctor, Clemson Whitney Russell, College of Charleston ShannonSitzmann, Winthrop