CLEMSON, S.C.-- A balanced North Dakota offense defeated Clemson of the Atlantic Coast Conference, 3-1 (25-22, 22-25, 25-14, 25-17), Thursday evening in non-conference action. It marked UND's second-ever win over a Power 5 school and first since a 3-0 win over Mississippi State on Sep. 18, 2014.
Freshman Ashley Brueggeman led UND with 12 kills while Chelsea Moser had 10, Faith Dooley and Jordan Vail had nine while Tamara Merseli added eight. Junior Sydney Griffin had 39 assists and a career-best 20 digs while UND charted eight total blocks in the win.
"That was a nice win for us, we will take it," UND head coach Mark Pryor said. "Chelsea Moser played very well for us. She's been on a tear lately and it's great to see her flourish and carry a big offensive load.
"Ashley Brueggeman really had a coming out party. She led us in kills and she made some really great off-blocker digs to extend rallies. It was nice to see. Alivia Fraase continues to get better and grow into her role as a libero. She is really starting to make some great digs.Sydney Griffin had the best defensive night of her career. I'm proud of how she has committed to playing relentlessly on defense."
It was an all-around effort for a team that has now pieced together three quick wins over the past two days to move to 5-4 overall. UND had to rally from down 13-8 in the first set, but did so with a quick 6-0 spurt to take the lead, then held off the Tigers for a 25-22 victory in set one.
Clemson (3-4) turned the tables in the second set, winning by an identical score but the rest of the match was all UND. From there, the visitors out-hit the home team .292 to .000 over the final two sets combined to grab the win.
It was a 25-14 blasting in the third set, fueled by a 6-0 start to the frame, UND never looked back and headed into the fourth with all the momentum. It never quelled as a 4-1 start sparked a 17-7 run to start the set as North Dakota continued to pile on. Eight of Brueggeman's dozen kills came in the final two sets, providing another weapon for UND.
"We will enjoy it tonight, but we play Tulane in 14 hours, so we have to be ready and we cannot be complacent," Pryor said.
The Clemson Challenge continues Friday as UND will play Tulane and East Tennessee State at 10:00 a.m. and 3:30 p.m., respectively.
