Nov. 21, 2007

Final Stats

COLLEGE PARK, Md. - Senior Jade Brown (Atlanta, Ga.) led Maryland with 12 kills, but the 25th-ranked Clemson Tigers defeated the Terps in three games (30-26, 30-12, 30-14) in an Atlantic Coast Conference volleyball match on Wednesday night at Comcast Pavilion.

Clemson (27-3, 20-1), which had already earned at least a share of the ACC title and an automatic berth to the NCAA Tournament, clinched the outright conference championship with the victory.

The Terps (17-13, 9-12) looked up to the challenge in the opening game, taking a 17-13 lead midway through on a Brown kill. However, the Tigers answered with 6-1 run to take the lead. The Terps led once more at 21-20, but the Tigers finished on a 10-5 run.

Clemson used big runs in games two and three to take the match.

"I thought game one was legit," Maryland head coach Janice Kruger said. "I thought we had chances in the game, but when it came down to the closing part of that game, it wasn't there. Clemson did a little bit better than us."

Freshman outside hitter Michelle Kenning (Cincinnati, Ohio) had another solid game for the Terps, registering eight kills and a block. Senior Beth Gillming (Cincinnati, Ohio) had seven kills. Freshman Brittney Grove (Glen Allen, Va.) got the start in the middle and led the team with two blocks. Junior Maggie Schmelzle (Cincinnati, Ohio) had 14 digs and sophomore Hayley Hanson (Huntington Beach, Calif.) paced Maryland with 20 assists.

Danielle Hepburn and Meghan Steiner had 11 kills apiece for the Tigers.

The Terps return to action at 2 p.m. Friday at Comcast Pavilion against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets. It is the last game of the regular season and Brown and Gillming will be honored on Senior Day.

-TERPS-