Volleyball Falls in Big Orange Bash Finale Saturday Night

Aug. 30, 2008

CLEMSON, SC – The Clemson volleyball team finished second in the Big Orange Bash this weekend after falling victim to a dominating performance by Florida International junior Yarimar Rosa in the tournament finale. The Tigers and Panthers entered Saturday night’s match-up with 2-0 records, but Rosa was too powerful for Clemson to defend.

Rosa was named the Most Valuable Player and was joined on the all-tournament team by Isadora Rangle and Natalia Valentin of Florida International, Danielle Hepburn and Didem Ege of Clemson, Amanda Hill of Charleston Southern, and Noemie Lefebvre of Syracuse.

The Orange had a 1-2 record for the weekend to claim third place while the Buccaneers finished fourth.

Lia Proctor led the Tiger hitters against the Panthers with 18 kills and also tallied nine digs in the contest. Hepburn and Jeannette Abbott also posted double figures in kills with 16 and 12, respectively. Defensively, Ege had a team-high 16 digs while rookie Brittany Fennell recorded 10 total blocks, a top-five mark for a Clemson freshman.

Rosa finished with 27 kills in the match. She tallied 16 in the first two sets with just one error as the Tigers came up short in both.

Clemson appeared to have figured out the Panther junior as she was held to just three kills and committed five errors in the third set. The Tigers came out strong and led 21-16 late in the set, but a Florida International rally tied the score at 22 and gave the Panthers a one-point lead. A Proctor kill knotted the score again and the Inman, SC native served the final two points for Clemson.

The Tigers led for much of a tight fourth set but the Panthers came out on top, 26-24, to claim the set and tournament title.

Earlier in the day, the Tigers downed Charleston Southern, 3-0 (25-18, 25-16, 25-7). Hepburn led the way with 14 kills and a .600 hitting percentage to go along with five total blocks. Rookie Lacy Hayes turned in a strong performance for her second career match, tallying six kills in 11 attempts without an error and recording five assists and three block assists. All 12 active members of the Tiger team saw action in the match.

Clemson edged the Buccaneers by a 25-18 margin in the first set as Murphy tallied 11 assists and Ege recorded seven digs. Hepburn hit her stride in the second set with five kills in the frame and tallied six on seven attempts in the third set to lead the Tiger offense in both. Clemson scored the first five points of the final set and controlled play the whole way. The lead stretched to 18-3 after a 10-point rally on Murphy’s serve.

Florida International won the first match of the day, defeating Syracuse by a 3-0 (25-14, 25-20, 25-22) margin. The Panthers slowly built a lead for a 25-14 win in the first set. They then scored 11 straight points on Ines Medved’s serve early in the second for a 15-6 advantage. The Orange responded later in the set with a five-point run to narrow the deficit to 23-19, but the effort was too late as Florida International claimed the frame, 25-20. The teams then traded runs in the third set and Syracuse avoided four match points giving up the final point of the contest. Yarimar Rosa led FIU with 13 kills and 14 digs, while Kacie MacTavish had a team-high eight kills for the Orange.

The Orange wrapped up third-place in the tournament with a 3-0 win over Charleston Southern in the third match of the day. Syracuse eked out the first set, 25-23, but was dominate in the second and third for the victory. Noemie Lefebvre led the winners with 13 kills and tallied 13 digs while Hallie Morse recorded 40 set assists. Amanda Hill posted 12 kills and 15 defensive saves for the Buccaneers.

The Tigers return to action next weekend in Cedar Falls, IA. Clemson will face Northern Illinois, Northern Iowa and Kent State in the UNI Invitational.

Big Orange Bash All-Tournament Team Yarimar Rosa (MVP) – Florida International Didem Ege – Clemson Danielle Hepburn – Clemson Amanda Hill – Charleston Southern Noemie Lefebvre – Syracuse Isadora Rangel – Florida International Natalia Valentin – Florida International