Volleyball ACCtion: Saturday, September 27
Clemson, Virginia Tech and North Carolina post wins.



Sept. 28, 2008

Clemson Volleyball Rallies For 3-2 Win At Virginia On Saturday

ACC Select

CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA - The Clemson volleyball team rallied from a two games to none deficit to earn a hard-fought ACC road victory against Virginia on Saturday night, 3-2 (25-7, 24-26, 25-15, 25-18, 17-15). Senior Jeannette Abbott notched 18 kills on the night, including six in the deciding set. With the win, the Tigers move to 9-5 overall and 1-2 in the ACC, while Virginia falls to 8-7 and 0-3 against conference foes.

The Tigers put forth a total team effort with several players contributing to the outcome. Freshman Brittany Fennell recorded a career-high 10 kills and 10 block assists, while Cansu Ozdemir stepped in and recorded the first six kills of her career to go along with eight assists, 16 digs and three block assists. All-ACC performer Danielle Hepburn tallied 17 kills and five blocks. Kelsey Murphy added 52 assists, 19 digs, six blocks, and five kills on the night.

Libero Didem Ege recorded 26 of the Tigers' 94 digs on the night, as Clemson notched 71 kills, 67 assists, 94 digs, and 30 blocks. Kendahl Voelker and Shannon Davis led the Cavaliers with 17 kills apiece, while Lauren Dickson added 15 kills in the effort.

Clutch play helps Hokies sweep Yellow Jackets

ACC Select

BLACKSBURG, Va. – The Virginia Tech volleyball squad used clutch play in three close sets to sweep Georgia Tech (25-23, 25-22, 26-24) and move to 3-0 in the ACC Saturday night at Cassell Coliseum in Blacksburg, Va.

The victory extends the Hokies’ (12-2, 3-0 ACC) winning streak to nine matches and propels Virginia Tech to first place in the conference. The Hokies are 5-0 in Cassell Coliseum this season.

The Hokies started the match out slow, falling behind Georgia Tech (10-3, 2-1 ACC) 10-4 in set one. A 9-2 run gave Virginia Tech their first lead of the match, and the two teams could not distance themselves from each other, until a ball handling error put the Yellow Jackets up 22-19. The Hokies responded though, and with the score 23-20, Virginia Tech reeled off five straight points on Sarah Muñoz’s service to win the first frame 25-23.

Tar Heels Sweep Boston College

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - The North Carolina volleyball team finished off its ACC-opening weekend with a 3-0 sweep of visiting Boston College (6-9, 0-3 ACC) on Saturday night improving to 8-5 overall and 2-0 in conference play. The Tar Heels posted winning scores of 25-21, 25-17 and 25-11 to secure their second consecutive ACC sweep. Ingrid Hanson-Tuntland led the way for Carolina as she tallied seven kills on just eight attempts and posted eight blocks. Carolina will now head to Durham to take on Duke and battle for a half point in the Carlyle Cup on Friday, Oct. 3 at 7 p.m.

The Tar Heels got off to a slow start Saturday night after an impressive performance against Maryland on Friday. Carolina battled to a 25-21 set one win as the defense carried the team converting 77 percent of its sideout opportunities. The Tar Heels held an early 4-0 lead taking advantage of three Boston College errors and a kill from Suzanne Haydel. The Eagles cut the deficit to two at 9-7 and forced a North Carolina timeout as neither team could gain control of the match in the early going. A 5-2 run out of the break by the Tar Heels forced a similar move from the Eagles as Carolina led 14-9. The Tar Heels extended their lead to 23-17 on a block from Haydel and Christine Vaughen as they closed within two points of the victory. Boston College would put the opening set win in doubt cutting the lead to three (24-21), before Lauren Prussing sealed the deal with a kill.