Volleyball Loses Five-Game Thriller to North Carolina

Sept. 25, 2004

North Carolina won a five-game thriller at Jervey Gym Saturday night, defeating Clemson 3-2 (28-30, 30-28, 30-22, 14-30, 13-15) in ACC volleyball action. The win improved the Tar Heels to 7-7 overall, 2-1 in ACC play. With the loss, Clemson fell to 8-5 overall and 1-1 in conference play.

“It was a tough loss at home,” said Jolene Jordan Hoover, head coach of the Tigers. “We fought extremely hard. We’re going to keep working to get better.”

Clemson recorded 15.0 team blocks in the match, with Lori Ashton leading the way with eight total. Ashton also had 12 kills. Anna Vallinch broke the record for defensive saves in a single Jervey Gym match with 35, topping her old mark of 34 set last Tuesday against Georgia. Brittany Ross contributed with 18 kills, while Leslie Mansfield chipped in with 15 digs.

North Carolina setter McKenzie Byrd had 66 assists, while Dani Nyenhuis led the squad with 23 kills. The Tar Heels were led defensively by Caroline deRoeck, who had 28 digs in the match.

The Tar Heels scored the final five points to take the opening game 30-28. In game one, Ashton had seven kills. In game two, Clemson took a 17-16 lead after trailing by five early. The Tigers went on to win game two by a score of 30-28.

Clemson won six of the last seven points in game three to take a 30-22 win. Trailing 9-6 in game four, North Carolina scored 11 of the next 12 to put it out of reach for Clemson. Trailing 11-10 in the final game, North Carolina got four straight points to lead 14-11, then held off a Clemson rally to win 15-13.

The Tigers play their third consecutive home match Tuesday against Georgia Tech. First serve is scheduled for 7:00 PM.