Volleyball to Open Conference Play This Weekend At Virginia And Maryland

Sept. 25, 2002

The Clemson volleyball team will open conference play this weekend, as the Tigers travel to Virginia and Maryland. The Tigers will play the Cavaliers on Friday at 7:30 p.m., then travel to Maryland on Saturday for a 5:00 p.m. first serve.

The Tigers enter league play with a 9-6 record, after defeating Furman 3-2 (30-21, 30-21, 26-30, 28-30, 15-13) on Tuesday evening. On the season, Clemson is 1-3 in away matches, 0-3 at neutral sites, but a perfect 8-0 at home. Jolene Jordan Hoover, the winningest volleyball coach in Clemson history, is looking for her 300th career victory this weekend. She has compiled a superb 299-135 career mark and a 207-104 record while at Clemson.

Sophomore Lori Ashton leads the Tigers with 202 kills and a .374 hitting percentage, and junior Marija Zoric leads Clemson at the net with 57 total blocks (11 solo) and a 1.10 blocks per game average. Sophomore Ryane Beasley is second on the team with 185 kills, while sophomore Leslie Finn has posted 165 kills. Senior Jessi Betcher has handed out 661 assists and has recorded a team-best 179 digs. Freshman Carly Hill is second on the team in digs with 110 and has served up a team-high 29 service aces.

Scouting Virginia The Cavaliers are 6-9 entering this weekend’s match, after posting a 1-2 record at the Dayton Flyer Classic in Dayton, OH. Virginia is led by Paige Davis with 165 kills and 159 digs. Celeste Laborde is second on the team in kills with 104, and Kristin Chaney has handed out 375 assists. Whitney Ashcraft has recorded a team-best 231 digs and a 4.28 dig per game average, while Simona Kuipers leads the Cavaliers at the net with 59 total blocks (10 solo). Clemson boasts a 26-8 record over the Cavaliers, including two wins last season.

Scouting Maryland The Terrapins enter this weekend’s match against the Tigers with an 11-4 record, having lost 1-3 to George Mason on Tuesday. Maryland is led by Lynnsy Jones with 231 kills and Carey Brennan with 192 kills and a .304 hitting percentage. Brennan has posted a team-best 143 digs, and Sarah Treadwell is second on the team in digs with 129. Lindsay Davey has recorded 386 assists, while Aimee Huddleston has handed out 287. The Terrapins are led at the net by Amanda Ayers with 43 blocks (two solo) and Stephanie Smith with 41 blocks (eight solo). Last season the Tigers dropped two matches to the Terrapins Clemson is 22-21 all-time against Maryland, with a 9-9 record on the Terrapin’s home court.