Volleyball To Travel to Miami, Florida State For Weekend Matches

Oct. 4, 2007

CLEMSON, SC – The Clemson volleyball team will kick off a five-match road stretch this weekend as they travel to Miami and Florida State. The Tigers (11-2, 4-0 ACC) will face the Hurricanes (8-6, 2-3 ACC) on Friday night in Coral Gables before taking on the Seminoles (5-8, 2-3 ACC) in Tallahassee on Sunday afternoon.

Both matches will be broadcast over the Internet on ACC Select. Fans can view the matches by accessing www.accselect.com.

Senior middle Meghan Steiner has performed well for the Tigers during the ACC season. The native of Crystal Lake, IL leads the team with 54 kills against conference opponents while also hitting a remarkable .489 percentage. She boasts a .424 hitting percentage overall which leads the ACC for the statistic. Setter Kelsey Murphy has guided the Clemson offense to a .272 team hitting percentage which ranks 20th in the nation. The sophomore from Lenox, IL has tallied 537 assists for an 11.93 per game average that ranks second in the conference.

Defensively, the Tigers are listed 17th in the nation with an 18.91 digs per game average, lead by libero Didem Ege’s 5.71 average. Ege ranks first in the ACC and 22nd nationally for the figure.

Scouting the Hurricanes Miami owns an 8-6 overall record with a 2-3 mark in conference action. The Hurricanes dropped a pair of matches last weekend to Wake Forest and Duke after posting five-game victories on the road against Virginia Tech and Virginia the week before.

Genny Mayhew leads the Miami squad with 191 kills while Ciara Michel has tallied 142 with a team-best 72 total blocks. Setter Katie Gallgher owns a 10.47 assist per game average while Cassie Loessberg is averaging 5.13 digs per game. Overall, the Hurricanes are holding their opponents to just a .181 hitting percentage and have allowed just 90 aces in their 54 games.

Clemson vs. Miami, The Series The Tigers won both meetings in 2006 by a 3-1 margin to take a 5-2 lead over the Hurricanes in the series score. Clemson and Miami battled to a 40-38 game one score, which the Hurricanes claimed, in the match-up on the Tigers’ home court on Sept. 29. Clemson then evened the series at 1-1 for matches played in Coral Gables with the 3-1 victory later in the season.

Scouting the Seminoles Florida State is coming off of a 3-2 victory over Wake Forest last Sunday and enters this weekend with a 5-8 overall record, including a 3-1 mark at home. The Seminoles also own a 2-3 record in ACC play and will play host to Georgia Tech on Friday night before facing the Tigers on Sunday.

Mira Djurric leads the team with 172 kills while Brianna Barry has added 133 kills with a .358 hitting percentage. Barry also boasts a team-best 43 total blocks, including seven solos. As a team, the Seminoles are hitting .207 with a 12.66 assist per game average. They have also recorded 105 service aces while holding the opposition to just 75 in 47 games played.

Clemson vs. Florida State, The Series The Tigers swept the Seminoles in last season’s matches, winning both by a 3-0 margin. With the two victories, Clemson narrowed Florida State’s lead to 21-16 all-time. The win in Tallahassee in 2006 was just the sixth in 17 tries for the Tigers. Current junior Jeannette Abbott recorded 17 kills in the contest at Florida State last season, hitting a .500 figure in the match.