Dec. 5, 2008

Tigers Edge Tennessee 3-2
Clemson's seniors Danielle Hepburn and Jeannette Abbott helped lead their team to victory Friday night against the Tennessee Lady Vols in Jervey Gym. The Tigers won in five sets (25-19, 19-25, 25-19, 23-25, 15-12) in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. This marks the first time that Clemson has advanced to the second round if the play-offs in back-to-back years.

The Tigers will play Utah in the second round of the NCAA tournament Saturday night at 7:00 p.m. in Jervey Gym

Abbott led the Tigers with 17 kills. Hepburn followed with 16 and Proctor had 14.

Duke Tops San Francisco 3-2 To Advance In NCAA Tournament
The Duke volleyball team won two straight sets to defeat 25th-ranked San Francisco 3-2 (26-28, 25-21, 22-25, 25-23, 15-9) in the first round of the NCAA Tournament Friday evening in Pauley Pavilion and will advance to the second round where they will face the winner of No. 9 UCLA and LSU on Saturday at 8 p.m. (PT).

Duke junior Rachael Moss had 16 kills and 17 digs in the effort, and sophomore Becci Burling went 15-for-30 attacking with a .467 hitting percentage to lead Duke in the win. Duke (25-8) trailed 2-1 following the third set but held on for a 25-23 win in set four before rolling past the Dons (22-8) 15-9 in the final set.

Duke senior Jourdan Norman also came up big on the defensive end with eight of Duke's 14 blocks, while classmate Sue Carls added nine kills, including the match-clinching point in the final set.

The win marks the fourth straight season in which Duke won in the first round of the tournament.

Tar Heels Move On In NCAA Tournament With 3-0 Win
The North Carolina volleyball team picked up its first NCAA tournament win since 2002 Friday night as the Tar Heels (22-10) took down host American (24-9), 3-0 (25-16, 25-17, 25-17), to move on to the round of 32. Junior Heather Brooks led a stellar Tar Heel service attack with four service aces as the Tar Heels racked up a school NCAA tournament record eight aces in the win.

The Tar Heels will face off against No. 11 Oregon (23-8) at 6 p.m. Saturday night for the right to advance to Austin, Texas for the Austin Regional semifinal.

Senior Lauren Prussing finished the night with a team-high 10 kills, while the middle duo of Brooks and Vaughen finished with six kills apiece. Brooks also tied a Carolina NCAA tournament record with four service aces as the Tar Heels ran up a new school record eight aces in the victory.