Nov. 30, 2007

Tigers Advance In NCAA Tournament With 3-1 Win Over Alabama

CLEMSON, S.C. - Danielle Hepburn and Lia Proctor each tallied 17 kills in leading the Clemson volleyball team to a 3-1 (30-25, 30-27, 31-33, 30-26) victory over Alabama on Friday night in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. The Tigers will face #8-seed UCLA in the second round on Saturday with play scheduled to begin at 7:00 pm from Jervey Gym.

Clemson is now 29-3 on the year, while the Crimson Tide ended its season at 15-15.

"This was an exciting win for us," said Clemson Head Coach Jolene Jordan Hoover. "I thought Alabama played fantastic. They gave us everything that we could handle and I'm just really excited to get one and still be alive (in the tournament)."

Along with Hepburn and Proctor, junior Jeannette Abbott posted 14 kills, while sophomore setter Kelsey Murphy paced the Tiger offense with 50 assists and five kills of her own. She also tallied 17 defensive saves, while libero Didem Ege lead Clemson defensively with 24 digs.

Duke Fends Off American, 3-2, to Advance In NCAA Tournament

DURHAM, N.C. - ACC Player of the Year Carrie DeMange and sophomore Rachael Moss each topped 20 kills and picked up double-doubles to lead No. 22 Duke to a 3-2 (30-20, 30-25, 28-30, 29-31, 15-7) win over American Friday evening at Cameron Indoor Stadium in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

With the win, Duke advances to the NCAA second round for the third straight year and will face No. 7 Cal in Cameron Indoor Stadium on Saturday, Dec. 1, at 5 p.m.

In addition to DeMange's performance, senior libero Jenny Shull reached yet another milestone with her 630th dig of the season, setting a new school record for the most digs in a season. Shull, who also owns the third and fourth-highest totals on the school's single-season list, picked up 20 digs against American and is now just 25 digs away from setting the ACC's all-time record.