BLACKSBURG, Va. – The Clemson Tigers sealed out the regular season with a three-set win over the Virginia Tech Hokies (13-15, 3-15 ACC) to improve to 17-10 on the year and 8-10 in ACC competition. The 17 wins mark the most regular-season victories for the Tigers since 2018 when Clemson also finished 8-10 in ACC action. Kateryna Tkachenko and Mia McGrath led all scorers with eight kills apiece as Clemson defeated Virginia Tech (26-24, 27-25, 29-27).
The Tigers finished with seven aces, led by junior Devan Taylor tallying three. Graduate Adria Powell added two to bring her point total to 10.5 after finishing with seven kills and two blocks (one solo, one assisted). Katie Culumovic and Mckenna Slavik rounded out the group with aces, while Slavik also tallied her 15th double-double of the year with 28 assists and 15 digs. Taylor rounded out the group with a team-high 16 digs, as Becca Micelle was the third Tiger to finish with double-digit digs with 10.
Clemson took the first set as its offense was no match for Virginia Tech with the Tigers finishing with 14 kills in comparison to VT’s nine. The Tigers pushed their lead to as much as seven, but late in the first, the Hokies made a push to come back. The effort to come back was silenced by kills from Kennedy Wagner and Adria Powell to seal the set, 26-24.
The Tigers won the second set in comeback fashion as the Hokies led for the majority of the set by as many as four. Clemson’s hitters shined as Kate Simington, Azyah Dailey, Tkachenko and McGrath tallied a combined nine kills to power the Tigers comeback. Kills by Dailey and Slavik and then a combined block from Slavik and Powell helped secure the two-set advantage.
Like the second, Clemson trailed at the beginning of the third. A 4-0 run that had freshman Ava Hewitt clocking back-to-back kills helped spur the Tigers’ offense back into action. Culumovic and Powell provided necessary aces, and a solo block by Tkachenko helped the Tigers inch ahead. Needing more than the traditional 25 points again, Clemson battled back with two consecutive kills from Tkachenko and a kill from Slavik to seal the three-set sweep.
Up Next
The Tigers will now await their postseason selection, which is scheduled to take place on Sunday, Nov. 26, beginning at 6 p.m. on ESPN for the NCAA Tournament, followed immediately by the NIVC selection.
