Volleyball To Face Wake Forest, Duke At Home This Weekend

Oct. 9, 2008

CLEMSON, SC – The Clemson volleyball team will take on a pair of conference foes this weekend as Wake Forest and Duke travel to Jervey Gym. The Tigers (11-5, 3-2 ACC) will face the Demon Deacons (13-4, 4-1) on Friday at 7:00 pm before matching up against the Blue Devils (12-5, 3-2) at 6:00 pm on Saturday evening.

Both matches will be broadcast on ACC Select. Click on the links below to view the action.

Clemson vs. Wake Forest | Clemson vs. Duke

Livestats will also be available both nights by accessing www.clemsontigers.com.

Fans are encouraged to support the Clemson swimming and diving teams in their Solid Orange meet against Georgia Tech at 5:00 pm before catching the volleyball team at Jervey Gym at 7:00 pm.

The Tigers are coming off of a pair of sweeps over ACC opponents last weekend that bettered their overall record to 11-5. Junior outside hitter Lia Proctor continues to lead the squad with 217 kills, while senior middle Danielle Hepburn trails her by just four kills with a team-best .357 hitting percentage. Hepburn has been stellar on the defensive end as well. The native of Miami, FL is averaging 1.48 blocks per set to lead the league and rank sixth in the nation. Already the program’s career leader in block assists, Hepburn is approaching the all-time block record with 588 total blocks as a Tiger.

Scouting The Opposition Wake Forest will enter Friday night’s contest with 13 total wins and just one conference loss to rank second in the ACC. The Demon Deacons are coached by former Clemson volleyball player Heather Kahl Holmes. Natalie Mulikin leads the Wake Forest offense with 191 kills, while Kristen White and Kadija Fornah have also totaled triple digits in kills this season.

The Blue Devils are coming off of two home wins over North Carolina and NC State to improve to 12-5 overall and 3-2 in the conference. Duke will face Georgia Tech in Atlanta on Friday before traveling to Clemson. The Blue Devils are averaging 13.69 kills per set with a .261 team hitting percentage while also posting 2.20 blocks per set. Rachael Moss has posted 229 kills and also ranks second on the team with 205 digs.

Clemson Against The Field The Tigers defeated Wake Forest in both meetings last season to improve to 22-10 all-time against the Deacs. Clemson won a 3-0 decision on its home court in 2007 and now owns a 9-6 record in matches with Wake Forest at Jervey Gym. The Tigers also posted a pair of wins over the Blue Devils last year, including one of the top in program history when Clemson defeated then-ranked #14 Duke in a five-set thriller in Durham, NC. However, the Blue Devils still lead the series score, 30-19, and own an 11-9 advantage in matches played on the Tigers’ home court.

Veterans Against The Field The Tigers’ five returning starters have all seen action in multiple matches against Virginia and Virginia Tech.

* Jeannette Abbott – averaging 4.74 kills per set against Wake Forest and 4.64 kills per set against Duke; * Didem Ege – owns 65 digs in four matches against Wake Forest and a 5.71 digs per set average against the Blue Devils; * Danielle Hepburn – has totaled 40 blocks in six matches against Wake Forest and 39 in six contests with Duke; is also hitting over .300 against both teams; * Meghan Hinemeyer – played in two sets against Wake Forest in 2007 with two block assists and a pair of digs; * Kelsey Murphy – is averaging 13.0 assists per set and has totaled eight service aces in four matches with the Demon Deacons; has tallied 204 total assists with 57 digs and 21 total blocks against the Blue Devils; * Lia Proctor – has totaled 35 kills in 14 sets played against the Demon Deacons with 21 kills in four matches against Duke.