Dec. 5, 2009

Duke Falls 3-1 to No. 24 Tennessee in NCAA Tourney
Nikki Fowler and Kayla Jeter combined for 35 of Tennessee's 54 kills to lead the 24th-ranked Volunteers to a 3-1 (25-18, 25-23, 17-25, 25-12) first-round victory over Duke in the first round of the NCAA Tournament in Thompson-Boling Arena.

Jeter led the team with 18 kills, while Fowler put down 17 and also recorded a double-double with 12 digs. Those two were part of a Tennessee (24-7) team that posted 17.5 blocks and hit .270 against a Duke squad that came in holding opponents to an ACC-low .156 hitting percentage.

Tennessee middle blocker Leah Hinkey dominated the nets with 10 blocks, seven kills and a .357 hitting percentage, while Fowler also put back seven blocks. Duke (27-6) struggled to get anything past the Volunteer front, hitting .146. Tennessee libero Chloe Goldman also gave Duke trouble, collecting 20 digs without a single receiving error. 

Clemson Volleyball Falls to 14-Seed Oregon in NCAA Tournament
The Clemson Volleyball team fell, 3-0, to 14-seed Oregon in the first round of the NCAA Volleyball Tournament in Lexington, KY. Sandra Adeleye led Clemson with 14 kills, but Oregon (20-9, 9-9 Pac-10) hit .405 in the match, winning 25-17, 25-21, 25-20.

Clemson (23-10, 13-7 ACC) has made an appearance in three straight tournaments, but failed to advance against the nation's #17-ranked team.

The Tigers got a strong effort offensively across the board, hitting .255 as a team. Senior all-ACC performer Kelsey Murphy had 35 assists in the three sets to go along with six digs, four kills, and three blocks. Murphy finishes her career as the only player in ACC history to register 5,000 assists, 1,000 digs, and 400 blocks. She ranks in Clemson's all-time top ten in each of those categories.

Georgia Tech Falls To Baylor, 3-0, In NCAA Tournament
ACC Freshman of the Year Monique Mead had 12 kills and nine digs but it was not enough as the Georgia Tech Volleyball team (21-10) fell to Baylor (23-9), 3-0 (17-25, 22-25, 22-25) Friday night in the first round of the NCAA Tournament at Pauley Pavilion. The Yellow Jackets were making their first appearance in the NCAA Tournament since 2004 under first-year head coach Tonya Johnson.

Mead hit .241 for the night and also added three block assists to go along with her 12 kills and nine digs. Seniors Chrissy DeMichelis and Brittany Roderick closed out their Tech careers with eight kills apiece. Sophomore Bailey Hunter also had eight kills for the Jackets on .333 hitting, while junior Mary Ashley Tippins added a team-high 32 assists. Junior Jordan McCullers led the way with 11 digs on the night. Tech hit .207 for the match, while Baylor hit .286.

The first half of set one was nip and tuck as it featured 11 ties. The Yellow Jackets were down 14-11 but battled back to tie the set at 15. Baylor answered though with a 10-2 run to run away and took a 1-0 lead for the match with a 25-17 win. Mead and Hunter led Tech with four kills apiece. The Jackets hit .143 compared to Baylor's .250.