Sept. 6, 2007

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CLEMSON, SC - After a 12-day layoff, the Clemson volleyball team will return to action on Friday night in the 17th annual Big Orange Bash. The Tigers (3-0) will play host to Florida A&M at 7:00 pm at Jervey Gymnasium in the second of two matches on the first day of the tournament. Furman (4-1) and Purdue (3-3) make up the rest of the four-team field.

Clemson will face Furman at 11:00 am on Saturday morning and will then play Purdue at 7:00 pm that same evening. Livestats will be available for all six matches of the tournament by accessing www.clemsontigers.com.

Junior Danielle Hepburn leads the Tiger squad with 39 kills and 20 total blocks. The native of Miami, FL is hitting .458 on the year. Meghan Steiner, a senior from Crystal Lake, IL, owns a team-best .526 hitting percentage with 34 kills so far this season.

Scouting the Field
The Tigers own a combined 36-1 record against the three teams in this year's Big Orange Bash.

They have won both prior meetings with Florida A&M, defeating the Rattlers most recently by a 3-0 margin at home during the 1999 season. Friday night's match-up will be Florida A&M's first contest of the 2007 season. The Rattlers posted an umblemished 10-0 record in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference a year ago, claiming the conference championship en route to a 21-7 overall record. They then fell to Florida in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

The Tigers boast a perfect 34-0 all-time record over Furman, including a 15-0 mark in matches played on their home court. Last season, Clemson defeated the Paladins, 3-1, at Jervey Gym. Furman owns a 4-1 record so far in 2007 and won the Drake Invitational title last weekend with back-to-back five-game victories over host Drake University and Wisconsin-Green Bay.

Saturday night's match between Clemson and Purdue will be just the second in history. The Boilermakers won by a 3-1 margin last season at the Mortar Board Purdue Premier in West Lafayette, IN. They enter this weekend's action with a 3-3 overall record.

Clemson's Big Orange Bash History
The Tigers own a 40-11 overall record in 16 years of Big Orange Bash competition. Last season, Clemson defeated Western Carolina, Tennessee State and Charlotte but lost to South Carolina to place second in the tournament.

Didem Ege and Danielle Hepburn were named to the all-tournament team.

Tournament Schedule
Friday, Sept. 7
5:00 pm - Furman vs. Purdue
7:00 pm - Clemson vs. Florida A&M
Saturday, Sept. 8
11:00 am - Clemson vs. Furman
1:00 pm - Purdue vs. Florida A&M
7:00 pm - Clemson vs. Purdue
Sunday, Sept. 9
1:00 pm - Florida A&M vsv. Furman

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