CLEMSON, S.C. – The Clemson Tigers (12-5, 0-5 ACC) dropped a three-set match (21-25, 13-25, 20-25) to No. 23 North Carolina (12-2, 5-0 ACC) on Friday evening inside Jervey Gym. The Tigers welcomed 1,314 fans into Jervey Gym to mark the sixth-largest crowd during Head Coach Jackie Simpson Kirr’s tenure, including the third-largest crowd during the 2025 season.
The first set had Nil Okur, Mia McGrath and Khaya Gordon clocking early kills, but the Tigers were forced to call timeout trailing 9-5. Returning to the court, Clemson got its left side going and had Okur picking up a solo block to cut the Tar Heels’ advantage down to one. Clemson strung together two strong runs with McGrath notching an ace, Kate Simington finishing with a solo block and Okur and Bianca Martinez combining for another block, but the Tar Heels claimed the opening set.
In set two, both programs traded points with Katherine Sandt picking up an ace, while Okur and Gordon combined for a block. The Tar Heels took control of the set after they went on a 9-0 scoring run that proved too large for the Tigers to bounce back from despite McGrath and Simington breaking up the stretch with kills.
The Tigers kept pace with the Tar Heels in the third with kills from Okur, McGrath, Simington and Gordon. Clemson went on a four-point run that included kills from Martinez, Okur and an ace from Claire Luoma to force UNC to call timeout before the media break. The Tar Heels had to use their second timeout eight points later after McGrath and Okur combined for a block and Mia Moore landed a kill in the backcourt. Coming out of its second timeout, North Carolina responded with a 10-6 run to take set three and the match.
Tiger Leaders/Highlights:
Up Next
The Tigers return to Jervey Gym on Sunday, Oct. 12 at 1 p.m. when they welcome Duke for a matchup on ACCNX. Sunday’s match inside Jervey Gym is free and open to the public.
