The Clemson volleyball program is set to kick off its inaugural campaign in new Jervey Gym under the leadership of fourth-year Head Coach Jackie Simpson Kirr and with a roster featuring 15 returners from the 2023 squad and seven newcomers. The Tigers are coming off back-to-back postseason appearances, including last year’s NIVC trip to the Great Eight, the team’s deepest postseason run since the 2018 campaign.
Leading the way for the Tigers in 2024 are three-time letter winners Aźyah Dailey and Devan Taylor. Coming off a career year in 2023 where she had a team-high 248 kills, Dailey looks to continue to be an offensive force for the Tigers. The pin hitter from Port Charlotte, Fla., has 14 double-digit kill matches on her career, with eight of them coming in 2023, and was third on the team in points last season, totaling 283.5. With Dailey leading the offensive front, libero Taylor will guide the defense that led the ACC in digs the previous two seasons. The Spring, Texas native led the team in multiple categories last season with 121 sets played, 447 digs and 3.69 digs per set. The three-year starter also looks to increase her standing in the record book after concluding the 2023 season with the seventh most digs in a Clemson career with 1,284 and is on pace to secure sole second place after this season to trail only Didem Ege (2,303, 2006-09). Dailey and Taylor have been named to the ACC Honor Roll each year of their careers.
Helping the two seniors lead the Tigers are sophomore Kennedy Wagner and junior Mia McGrath. After a remarkable freshman campaign for the Orange and Regalia, Wagner will look to continue her momentum. The Indiana native led Clemson with 2.34 kills per set, 39 service aces and in total attacks with 656. Wagner was also second on the team in points (291.0) and points per set (2.97) and had the third most kills for the Tigers with 229 on the year. McGrath has a team-high 466.5 career points during her time with the Tigers and will look to keep leading the team during the upcoming campaign. Other returners from 2023 include Audrey Armbruster, Sophie Catalano, McKenna Gildon, Ava Hewitt, Katie Hurta, Becca Micelle, Mia Moore, Maggie Patterson, Katherine Sandt, Caroline Sele and Kate Simington.
Thanks to the recruiting efforts of Simpson Kirr, Associate Head Coach Taylor Unroe and Assistant Coaches Dan O’Keefe and Quinn Lukens, the Tigers added seven newcomers to bolster their roster. Graduate transfer Indigo Young brings a wealth of experience from her four years at Charleston Southern. The middle hitter played in 334 sets and appeared in 88 matches before transferring to Clemson, averaging 2.04 kills per set during her career. The Kennesaw, Ga., native led the Big South in hitting percentage in back-to-back years with .371 (2022) and .386 (2023), earning several accolades. Her achievements include being named to the Big South All-Freshman Team, the Big South All-Second Team in 2022, twice named the Big South Player of the Week, was awarded team captain for Charleston Southern in 2023 and was named to the 2023 All-Academic Team.
Rounding out the pair of transfers is sophomore middle hitter Kate Hansen. The Weatherford, Texas native played and started all 21 of her matches for Texas Tech and was a defensive force during her time as a Lady Raider. She led all Power 5 freshmen, was ranked 36th nationally and was among the top three players in the Big 12 for blocks per set with 1.27. Hansen also ranked second in the Big 12 with 20 solo blocks, had a team-high 99 blocks for the Lady Raiders, and secured a career-high 11 blocks during her collegiate debut against Houston Christian.
Five freshman signees are among the No. 38 ranked recruiting class for the Tigers. Among the quintuplet of first years are a pair of international student-athletes, Lejla Sara Hadžiredžepović and Neea-Maria Joki. A pin attacker from Reykjavik, Iceland, Hadžiredžepović is a member of the Icelandic National Team and was named the 2021 Dream Team Opposite of the Tournament (NEVZA) and the 2022 Dream Team Outside and MVP of the Tournament (NEVZA), both with the U17 National Team. Joki, another pin attacker from Tampere, Finland, finished her high school career with similar accolades, being named to the Dream Team every year of the Tournament (NEVZA) and winning the NEVZA North European Championships four consecutive years from 2019 to 2022.
A trio of domestic players round out the freshmen class for the Tigers. A middle hitter out of Dublin, Ohio, Taylor Bahnub had an illustrious high school career before signing with Clemson. Bahnub was twice named to an All-Conference Team, twice named to her All-District Team, was named to the 2023 Second Team All-State, the 2023 Conference Player of the Year, a 2023 Team Captain and Team MVP, and the 2022 Team Offensive Player of the Year. Claire Luoma, a libero from Franklin, Wis., was invited to train with the USA Volleyball National Team Development Program (NTDP) 10 times, ranked the No. 1 libero in Wisconsin by Prep Dig for the Class of 2024 and ranked in the top 10 nationally for liberos by Prep Dig. She also has three All-Conference selections, named 2023 All-Conference Player of the Year and 2023 Second Team All-State. Addi Rains is a libero hailing from Yorktown, Ind. Rains was named to the AVCA All-America Watch List, 2021-22 AVCA Phenom Watch List, a member of the JVA Watch List from 2021 to 2023 and a member of the USA Volleyball NTDP.
The 2024 season marks the first inside the newly renovated Jervey after significant renovations were made to the gym. Construction and renovation began after the last home match of the 2023 slate and affected 14,000 square feet of space. Among the upgrades made to Jervey was raising the roof by 12 feet and replacing the gym’s flooring, seating, A/V systems, scoreboard and video board. An upgraded lobby with improved amenities and the addition of a premier ACEs Club Lounge that overlooks the court (slated to open in 2025) are also among the upgrades for an enhanced fan experience. In addition to these fan-centric upgrades are athlete-centric upgrades. The new Volleyball Suite houses a new locker room, meeting area, lounge and other student-athlete facilities to empower athlete performance.
During the renovations of Jervey Gym, the volleyball staff launched a fundraising campaign called the ACEs Club. Advancing Clemson Excellence, or ACEs, allows fans to rally behind Clemson Volleyball and show their support in pursuing success. In 2024, members of the ACEs Club have potential to gain early access to the gym to secure their chairback seats and catch serve and pass warmups with the Tigers. Additional benefits depend on an ACEs Club member’s donation level. Fans interested in learning more and joining the fundraising initiative can visit IPTAYCUAD.com/Clemson-VB-ACEs, email iptay@clemson.edu or call 1-800-CLEMSON (1-800-253-6766) today.
