TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Sophomore middle Kate Hansen tallied a career-high 11 kills with four solo blocks, two assisted and two aces, while senior Azyah Dailey notched a team-high 19 points, but the Clemson Tigers (10-19, 2-16 ACC) dropped a five-set match (25-20, 16-25, 25-21, 18-25, 10-15) to No. 23 Florida State (20-8, 12-6 ACC) on Sunday afternoon. Clemson’s opening set victory marked the first time the Tigers had taken a set from FSU since November 2022, and today’s game was the first time Clemson has taken two sets from the Seminoles since 2014.
Joining her career-high kill performance, Hansen’s four solo blocks were one shy of tying her career-high that was set during the 2023 season, and contributed to her six total on the match, the second-most in a single match by the sophomore this season. Dailey powered the Tigers with 18 kills to mark the fourth-straight match she has led the team in points and her 12th double-digit kill performance of the season. Freshman Neea-Maria Joki followed with 11 points off 10 kills and one solo block, while Katherine Sandt tallied her eighth double-double with 44 assists and a team-high 15 digs. Mia McGrath and Devan Taylor also clocked double-digit digs with 13 and 10, respectively. Graduate middle hitter Indigo Young rounded out the stat highlights by finishing with 7.5 points behind six kills, one solo block and one block assist to surpass 1,000-career points.
The Tigers took advantage of errors by the Seminoles in the opening set and were able to outhit FSU .290 to .188 to take the opening set, 25-20. Clemson was led by Dailey, who tallied seven kills in the set. She was joined by middles Hansen and Young, who finished with three and two kills, respectively. Needing only 1.5 points, Young’s two kills in the opening frame surpassed the 1,000-career point mark.
Florida State evened things in the second after taking the set 25-16. Dailey reached double-digit kills during the set, but it was Joki, who contributed six kills and a solo block, that powered the Tigers.
In a set that looked to be dominated by FSU, Clemson answered with a momentum shift in the third. Young and Hansen got things going, but it was a five-point run that included a kill from Dailey and an ace from McGrath that evened things at 11-all. Hansen and Sandt provided the needed push at the service line for the Tigers with two aces before Hansen, Young and Dailey drove Clemson to a 25-21 set victory.
Hansen continued to lead Clemson into the fourth set, notching the first kill immediately followed by her second ace of the match. Sophomore Kennedy Wagner came off the bench to provide crucial kills for the Tigers down the stretch, including three-consecutive kills that forced FSU to call a late timeout. Despite the late push, Florida State forced a fifth set after taking set four, 25-18.
Hansen once again sparked the Tigers early in the fifth with her fourth solo block of the match. Dailey, Young and Joki tallied kills for Clemson but would be down by two as the two programs switched sides. Coming out of the media timeout, Hansen added her 11th kill while hitting .400, and Wagner tallied one of her own to cut the deficit down to one. Dailey provided one more kill to bring her day total to 18, but the Tigers dropped set five, 15-10.
Up Next
Clemson returns to action on Wednesday, November 27 at 2 p.m. with the final road match of 2024. The Tigers will take on Boston College in Chestnut Hill, Mass., before returning to Jervey Gym for the 2024 season finale against North Carolina on Friday, November 29 at 7 p.m.
