Volleyball Set For Road Dates With Boston College And Maryland

Oct. 16, 2008

CLEMSON, SC – Head Coach Jolene Jordan Hoover and her Clemson volleyball team will begin a four-match road stretch this weekend as the Tigers travel to the Northeast for a pair of contests. Clemson (13-5, 5-2 ACC) will take on the Boston College Eagles (6-13, 0-7 ACC) in Chestnut Hill, MA on Friday at 5:00 pm. The team will then travel to Maryland for a date with the Terps on Sunday afternoon.

Livestats will be available for both contests on www.clemsontigers.com.

Following a 13-block weekend, reigning ACC Player-of-the-Week Danielle Hepburn moved into first place in the league with a 1.52 blocks per set average and needs just 10 total blocks to tie the school career record of 611. The senior from Miami, FL also ranks fifth nationally for her blocking average and leads the Tigers with a .368 hitting percentage on the offensive front. Lia Proctor boasts a team-best 247 kills this season while Kelsey Murphy has tallied 689 set assists in guiding the team to a .266 hitting percentage.

Scouting The Opposition Boston College will enter Friday’s contest with a 6-13 overall record. The Eagles are still looking for their first conference win of the season after falling in their first seven attempts. Jordan Meredith is the team’s leading offensive weapon with 209 kills for a squad averaging 11.85 kills per set. She also ranks second with 151 defensive saves, while Brennan Clark has tallied 260 as the team’s libero.

Maryland’s only conference win was against the Eagles at home to kick off its ACC season. The Terps are 5-14 on the year and will face Georgia Tech on Friday night in College Park. Katie Usher owns team bests in kills and blocks with season totals of 181 and 61, respectively. Maryland employs a “6-2” offense with Sharon Strizak and Hayley Hanson combining for 570 assists in 2008.

Clemson Against The Eagles, Terps The Tigers have won seven of nine contests with Boston College in history, including a pair of victories in 2007 over the Eagles. Clemson won both meetings last season by 3-0 margins and has been the victor in all three matches played in Chestnut Hill, MA. With two wins over Maryland last year, the Tigers gained a 29-27 advantage in a series score that dates back to 1979. Clemson also posted sweeps over the Terps en route to its ACC Championship.

Veterans Against The Field The Tigers’ five returning starters have all seen action in multiple matches against Boston College and Maryland.

* Jeannette Abbott – averaging 3.59 kills per set against Boston College with eight service aces in six matches; totaled 86 kills in 22 sets against Maryland; * Didem Ege – owns an astonishing 5.23 digs per set average against the Eagles with a 5.07 figure in four matches versus Maryland; * Danielle Hepburn – averaging 1.27 blocks and 3.27 kills per set versus the Eagles while hitting a career .356 against them; has nearly identical offensive numbers against the Terps with seven fewer blocks; * Kelsey Murphy – averaging 12.23 assists per set against Boston College with 36 defensive saves; assists per set versus the Terps are 14.50 with eight service aces; * Lia Proctor – has totaled 24 kills and 10 digs in four matches against Boston College with 40 kills and 17 defensive saves in four meetings with Maryland.