Sept. 9, 2011
by Koby Padgett
Assistant Media Relations Director
September 9, 2011
| Team | 1st | 2nd | 3rd |
| Clemson | 25 | 25 | 25 |
| South Carolina | 16 | 22 | 18 |
| Coach Swanson |
CHARLESTON, S.C. – Despite a double-double from sophomore outside hitter Juliette Thévenin, South Carolina (7-1) fell in three sets to Clemson (5-3), as the Tigers won sets 25-16, 25-22, 25-18, on Friday afternoon at TD Arena in the College of Charleston Invitational opener.
Thévenin tallied 14 kills and 10 digs for the Gamecocks, while sophomore libero Paige Wheeler and freshman outside hitter Bethanie Thomas both compiled 10 digs. Junior setter Taylor Bruns had six kills, 28 assists and nine digs.
Sandra Adeleye led the Tigers with 13 kills, while Serenat Yaz posted 10 kills, 10 digs and two aces. Kamryn Sherman posted 20 assists and 11 digs, while Hannah Brenner had 16 assists and eight digs.
Clemson took a 25-16 win in the first set behind a nearly perfect offense. Adeleye had five of the Tigers’s 15 kills, and Clemson only made one attack error in the frame. The Tigers raced to a 7-3 lead behind a pair of aces from Kristin Faust. A six-point run made it 19-10, as Adeleye started it with two kills. Monisha Simmons ended the frame with a kill. Bruns and sophomore defensive specialist Lindsey Craft both had six digs in the frame for the Gamecocks.
South Carolina held leads of 8-6 and 13-10 before Clemson came back in the second, taking six of seven points in one stretch to take the 18-15 lead. The Tigers moved it to 21-17 before South Carolina drew to within one on three-consecutive kills by Thévenin. But the Tigers prevailed, 25-22, with Simmons capping things again with a kill. Thévenin had seven kills in the frame, but Adeleye matched her and only had one error on her 11 swings. Junior Christina Glover, Thomas and Thévenin all had five digs for South Carolina.
The Gamecocks and Tigers battled back and forth in the third until the Tigers claimed five of six points in a series to capture a 20-15 lead. The Tigers ended it at 25-18 with an ace by Yaz, who had 10 of Clemson’s points in the frame (eight kills, two aces).
Clemson won every stat category except blocks, where the Gamecocks owned a 6-4 advantage. The Tigers out-hit the Gamecocks, .287-.182.
South Carolina ends its non-conference slate on Saturday with matches against the College of Charleston at 12 noon and Winthrop at 5 p.m. in TD Arena.
