CLEMSON, S.C. – Middle hitter Kate Hansen tied her career-high with 14 kills to power the Clemson Tigers to a three-set sweep (25-21, 26-24, 25-17) against Syracuse in the 2025 home finale inside Jervey Gym on Tuesday afternoon. Hansen finished the day with 17 points behind her 14 kills, three blocks and one ace to move Clemson to 17-14 (5-14 ACC), while Syracuse dropped to 13-16 (5-14 ACC).
Both teams were neck-and-neck through the first combined 20 points. The Tigers created a spread with a three-point run. Kate Hansen and Mia McGrath extended it to 19-15 with kills, and with Hansen at the service line, McGrath and Ecem Aksoy moved it to five points at 23-18. Clemson claimed the opening set, 25-21, on Mia Moore’s fourth kill of the match.
Similar to the first set, the two programs traded scoring runs in the second. Clemson’s longest stretch came after Moore and McGrath recorded kills and Moore combined with Nil Okur on a block. Syracuse held a two-point advantage heading into the media timeout, but Hansen and McGrath responded and gave Clemson the 19-18 advantage. In a set that had 13 ties and six lead changes, Syracuse bounced back to take a 23-21 lead, but McGrath and Hansen answered for the Tigers three kills and a combined block to eventually take the set, 26-24.
Hansen started strong in the third set, racking up a kill and an ace. The Tigers pushed the tempo with additional kills from Okur, McGrath and Moore, as well as an ace from Claire Luoma that gave Clemson a 12-6 lead. Syracuse trimmed Clemson’s lead down to three, but the Tigers continued to be powered by Hansen. The Tigers closed out the set and match with back-to-back kills from Aksoy and Nil to claim the 17th win of the year.
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Up Next
The Tigers conclude the 2025 season on Friday, Nov. 28 in Tallahassee, Fla., with a match against Florida State. Friday’s match is slated to begin at 2 p.m. on ACCNX.
