Nov. 21, 2003

Final Stats | 2003 ACC Women's Volleyball Tournament

ORLANDO, Fla. - The sixth-seeded Clemson Tigers downed the third-seeded Wake Forest Demon Deacons, 3-1 (33-35, 30-22, 30-22, 32-30) Friday evening at Disney's Wide World of Sports Complex. Four Tigers accumulated double-digit kills, while Ryane Beasley and Liz Beckham posted double-doubles to lead Clemson to victory.

In game one, Wake Forest and Clemson battled back and forth looking for a chance to break the game wide open. The Deacs were first to strike opening a five point advantage over the Tigers, but it was quickly erased as Clemson countered for its first lead of the game at 19-17. Wake then rattled off four straight points to take a 21-19 lead late in the game. Both teams traded points and with Wake Forest leading 34-33, sophomore Valerie Rydberg came up with the kill to sent the Demon Deacons to the 35-33 win. Rydberg finished game one with 11 kills and a .400 hitting percentage for the Deacs, while freshman Liz Beckham collected 7 kills for a .457 hitting percentage for the Tigers.

Clemson struck early and often in game two, running out to 6-1 lead over the Deacs. The Tigers increased their advantage to ten after a Wake Forest hitting error to make the score 15-5. Following a Demon Deacon timeout, Wake went on a 7-4 run to cut into the Tiger lead at 19-12. But it would be as close as the Deacs would come as Clemson pulled away for the 30-22 victory to tie the match at one apiece. Lori Ashton led the Tiger attack with six kills and four digs as Clemson out hit Wake .419 to .167 in game two.

Game three resembled much of the same play in game one with both teams battling back and forth. Wake Forest staked to a 12-8 lead but saw that margin dwindle away as Clemson went on a 7-3 run to tie the score at 15-15. Clemson build a six point advantage thanks in large part to a huge block solo and a kill down the right hand side of the court by Ashton to take control of the third game and a 30-22 victory.

Once again both teams exchanged points before Wake Forest ran out to a four point lead at 11-7 in game number four. Clemson countered with a run of their own to take only their second lead of the match at 17-15. After a series of ten ties late in game, a Clemson kill by Beasley gave the Tigers the advantage and a point later the 32-30 game four victory.

With the win, Clemson runs their record to 18-15, while Wake Forest drops to 21-8. The Tigers will advance on to Saturday's semifinals and will face the Maryland Terrapins on Saturday at 4:00 pm.