Marquette University Athletics
Marquette University
Clemson
Marquette Volleyball loses to Clemson, 3-0
9/5/2008 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
Sept. 5, 2008
MILWAUKEE-- The Marquette women's volleyball team dropped a match to the Clemson Tigers Friday afternoon in the first day of competition at the UNI Invitational, 3-0 (25-10, 25-23, 25-17). Leading the way for the Golden Eagles were sophomores Leslie Bielski with 13 kills and Rabbecka Gonyo with five blocks and freshmen Amy Deelo with nine digs and Laira Akin with 15 assists.
"The team showed a lot of energy and a lot of effort tonight," said head coach Pati Rolf. "Clemson had a really mature team with a lot of experience. We are a young squad and we just have to keep playing."
Clemson came out strong in the first set as they rushed out to a 6-1 lead. Marquette failed to recover in the first set from the slow start, dropping the set, 25-10.
The match's second set saw Marquette match Clemson's early intensity as they stretched the Tigers to the brink. The Clemson lead fluctuated early in the set as Marquette tied it up at five a piece following a kill by Bielski. With the score notted at five, Clemson mounted a rally to put the them on top at 12-5 before the Golden Eagles staged a furious comeback.
Marquette then received three-straight kills from Caryn Mastandrea, Ashlee Fisher and Katie Vancura, putting the score at 12-8. With the score at 19-14, Marquette reeled off six of the next seven points to tie the score at 20 on two kills and a service ace by Bielski. Clemson went on to score the set's next four points, leaving them at set point. The Golden Eagles showed that they still had something left in the tank as Fisher hammered home two kills and Rabbecka Gonyo and Vancura assisted on a block to cut Clemson's lead to one at 24-23. Unfortunately for Marquette, Clemson's Danielle Hepburn's kill ended the set at 25-23.
The third set started a lot like the second as the two squads fought for the set's early lead. MU took its first lead of the match at 3-2 on a kill by Fisher just before the Tigers scored seven straight points to put the set at 9-3. A Golden Eagles comeback put the set at 12-11 on another block by Gonyo and Vancura before the Tigers pulled away to score 13 of the match's final 19 points.
The Golden Eagles return to action tomorrow at the UNI Invitational as they play tournament host Northern Iowa at 12:30 p.m. before facing Northern Illinois at 5 p.m.
