Sept. 28, 2002

Box Score

COLLEGE PARK, Md. - Maryland's Lynnsy Jones and Clemson's Lori Ashton shared a match-high 24 kills on Saturday evening at Ritchie Coliseum, but it was a five-point fifth-game rally by the Tigers that proved to be the deciding factor in Clemson's Atlantic Coast Conference victory over the Terrapins.

Clemson (11-6, 2-0 ACC) overcame an early Maryland advantage in game five, taking an 8-4 lead on five consecutive points, and leading as much as 12-6 on an Ashton kill. Maryland closed the margin to 14-11 on a block by Jones and Rachel Wagener, but Clemson setter Jessi Betcher ended the match with a block of an errant Maryland pass over the net.

It was the third time of the season that Maryland (11-6, 0-2 ACC) had been pushed to five games, and it was the Terps' sixth straight loss after opening the year with 11 consecutive wins. Clemson won its seventh straight match by recording see-saw scores of 25-30, 30-27, 21-30, 30-24, 15-11.

A key for the Terrapins was the loss of senior hitter and all-time kills leader Carey Brennan to a foot injury late in the second game of the match. Brennan aggravated an injury that cost her playing time earlier in the season. After recording 12 kills already in the first two games, she twisted the foot while stepping on the foot of Terps' setter Lindsay Davey. She left the match with Maryland trailing 26-23, and she never returned.

Behind Jones, however, and inspired play by senior Amanda Ayres and sophomore Jennifer Dewalt, Maryland raced to a game three victory to lead the match 2-1. Without Brennan, the Jones-Ayres-Dewalt trio helped the Terps to leads of 12-6 and 20-9 in taking control of the match. Dewalt's kill capped a five-point Terrapin run as Maryland took an 11-point lead and coasted to a 30-21 win.

In a pivotal fourth game, Clemson withstood a back-and-forth contest which included 11 ties at just 17-17. Betcher won a joust at the net with Maryland's Stepanie Smith for an 18-17 Tiger advantage and CU scored 13 of the game's final 20 points for a 30-24 decision, forcing the deciding fifth game.

For Maryland, four players finished with double-figure kills. Dewalt posted 18 kills while Ayres and Brennan both finished with a dozen. Clemson's Leslie Finn had 17 kills and Ryane Beasley contributed 13.

Setting for the second straight match after returning from her own injury, Maryland's Davey finished with 60 assists on the Terps' 76 kills. Across the net, Davey's former club teammate and Colorado high school rival, Betcher, assisted on 62 of the Tigers' 72 kills in the evenly played match.