Volleyball Tops South Carolina For 13th Straight Win

Sept. 28, 1999

CLEMSON, SC – The Clemson volleyball team, ranked 13th nationally, defeated state-rival South Carolina 3-2 (4-15, 15-9, 15-8, 10-15, 15-11) Tuesday night at Jervey Gym, in front of a record crowd of 1,367. The Tigers pushed their winning streak to 13 matches with the win.

South Carolina dominated game one, outhitting Clemson .387 to .135, before the Tigers handed the Gamecocks a 15-9 loss in game two, holding the Gamecocks to a .000 hitting percentage in the game. The Tigers hit .359 with 20 kills in game three, but South Carolina bounced back with 27 kills to take game four.

Following a block solo by Clemson freshman setter Jessi Betcher midway through game five, the momentum shifted toward the Tigers, who dominated the rest of the match. “Jessi has added so much life and energy to this team,” said Clemson head coach Jolene Jordan Hoover. Betcher finished the match with 59 assists, 12 digs, two service aces and five kills. She hit .308 for the match.

“Our final goal is to make it to a regional match of the NCAA Tournament, and we are well on our way now,” said senior Cindy Stern, who led the team with 28 kills. Stern recorded 13 digs and three blocks for the night.

Senior Alison Coday had 20 kills, seven digs and five blocks, while freshman Mallory Benson added six kills, two errors and 12 attempts for a .333 attack percentage. Benson also recorded five blocks for the Tigers. Senior Emily Gorla led the team with 16 digs, while junior Heidi Cooper recorded 16 digs in the match. Sophomore Jodi Steffes tallied two service aces, seven digs and four block assists.

Clemson (13-0, 2-0 ACC) will travel to Georgia Tech Friday for a 7:30 p.m. match. South Carolina drops to 9-4, 2-0 SEC with the loss.