Clemson Falls to No. 5 Stanford in Four

CLEMSON, S.C. – Behind the effort of two solo blocks and a single kill in the opening set, senior pin attacker Mia McGrath reached 1,000 career points during her tenure as a Clemson Tigers in the four-set match (27-25, 18-25, 26-28, 15-25) against No. 5 Stanford. Following the loss, the Tigers dropped to 12-9 (0-9 ACC), while the Cardinal improved to 17-3 (7-1 ACC).

The Tigers won the opening set, with senior pin attacker Mia Moore leading the Tigers with five kills. Clemson traded the lead with Stanford throughout, but it was a string of four-clutch plays that included two kills from McGrath and an ace from McKenna Gildon that turned the tide in Clemson’s favor, 23-22. The Tigers took the extended set with blocks from Kate Hansen and Katherine Sandt, with Hansen securing the set with a kill. As a team, the Tigers put up six blocks in the opening set.

Welcome to the 1️⃣0️⃣0️⃣0️⃣ point club Mac 🤩#OwnToday pic.twitter.com/W85hgW64dE

— Clemson Volleyball 🏐 (@ClemsonVB) October 24, 2025

Clemson dropped the second set, 25-18, in part due to being outblocked by the Cardinal 3-1. At the onset of the set, the Tigers and Cardinal continued to trade off the lead, with Stanford pulling away after going on a six-point run. 

The Cardinal took a 2-1 set advantage after taking the third, 28-26. Led in overall kills by Moore and McGrath, the Tigers pushed the tempo offensively, outhitting Stanford 18-17 in kills. Clemson took a 22-20 advantage that forced Stanford to call timeout and extended it to 24-22, but the Cardinal battled back to take the set.

Stanford pulled away early in the fourth, but Clemson continued to fight back offensively, with McGrath leading the Tigers with 59 attacks and 14 kills. A kill by Nil Okur brought the Tigers to within four, but a string of errors by the Tigers and three kills by the Cardinal separated Stanford once again, with the Cardinal taking the final set 25-15.

Tiger Leaders/Highlights:

• Points: Mia McGrath – 16.5
• Kills: Mia McGrath – 14
• Digs: McKenna Gildon – 20
• Assists: Katherine Sandt – 39
• Blocks: Nil Okur – 3.0
• Aces: Gildon – 1
• McGrath surpassed 1,000 career points in the opening set to become the first Tiger since Camryn Hannah reached the feat in 2022
• Three Tigers finished with double-digit kills: McGrath, Mia Moore (11) and Ecem Aksoy (10)
• Sandt clocked her ninth double-double of the season with 39 assists and 19 digs
• Clemson last took a set against an AVCA Top-25 opponent in 2024 when the Tigers forced five sets against then-No. 23 Florida State
• Friday’s match against No. 5 Stanford marked the second highest-ranked opponent Clemson has taken at least one set from during Head Coach Jackie Simpson Kirr’s tenure, trailing only when Clemson took one set from then-No. 3 Louisville on Nov. 5, 2023

Up Next

The Tigers return to Jervey Gym on Sunday, Oct. 26 for their Dig Pink match against California. Action is slated to begin at 1 p.m. with admission free and open to the public for all home matches. Fans not able to make it in person can catch all the action on ACCNX.