Tigers Sweep Through Clemson Classic

Sept. 15, 2007

CLEMSON, SC- The Clemson volleyball team defeated Georgia State in three games (30-16, 30-20, 30-23) to conclude play in the Clemson Classic on Saturday. With the win, the Tigers finished the tournament with a perfect 3-0 record, and improved their season record to 7-2. Clemson finished first in the tournament, while Georgia State finished second with a 2-1 record. Appalachian State and Kent State finished third and fourth, respectively.

Danielle Hepburn earned tournament MVP honors for the Tigers. Didem Ege and Leslie Mansfield were named to the All-Tournament team for Clemson. Ana Paula Ferreira and Noelle Boyd represented Georgia State on the team. Also earning the accolade were Appalachian State’s Brittany Zahn and Kent State’s Laura Jensen.

Clemson got off to a fast start in first game of the morning behind the powerful hitting of front row attackers Danielle Hepburn and Jeannette Abbott. The Tigers led the majority of the game, with their biggest lead coming when the score was 28-15. The second game brought a change at libero for Georgia State, as freshman Audrey Cantrell helped get the Panthers off to an early 11-6 lead. But they were unable to stop the talented Tigers, who went on a seven point run and dominated the remainder of the game. The Panthers put up a good fight in game three, but the Tigers were too much to handle. The match ended with an impressive block by Mansfield and Hepburn.

Didem Ege led Clemson defensively with 12 kills. Meghan Steiner contributed four total blocks to go along with a .571 hitting percentage.

Georgia State was led by middle hitter Jocelyn Waldern, who had eight kills for the Panthers.

In other tournament action, Appalachian State defeated Kent State in a five-game thriller (32-30, 30-25, 21-30, 24-30, 15-12).

Appalachian State was led by outside hitter Brittany Zahn who totaled 24 kills in the match. Setter Lorelle Rau chipped in with 46 assists and 15 digs. Anja Knabe-Paulsen led Kent State with 19 kills.

In the final game of the Clemson Classic, Georgia State defeated Kent State in four games. Unfortunately for the Golden Flashes, their previous game ended just two and a half hours before they had to take the court again versus Georgia State. The Panthers were led by Ana Paula Ferreira and Amy Lusk who each contributed 13 kills. With the win, Georgia State improved their record to 9-6 on the season.

The Golden Flashes were led by Ashley Feutz’s 18 kills. The loss dropped Kent State’s record to 9-4.

Clemson returns to action against North Carolina State in Raleigh, North Carolina on September 21.

Clemson Classic All-Tournament Team Danielle Hepburn, MVP Didem Ege, Clemson Leslie Mansfield, Clemson Ana Paula Ferreira, Georgia State Noelle Boyd, Georgia State Brittany Zahn, Appalachian State Laura Jensen, Kent State