Sloane Thompson
Clemson women's volleyball is 9-0 for the first time since the 1999 season and will begin ACC play next week.
This past Saturday, Clemson volleyball secured a 3-2 win over Wofford in Jervey Gym. The win moved the Tigers to a 9-0 start, changing the pace of the team’s usual success.
The 9-0 start is the Tigers’ best since they began 6-0 in 2014, and their 6-0 record at home thus far is their best since beginning 7-0 at home court in 2021.
The Tigers have not been 9-0 since the 1999 season.
Clemson volleyball has been dealt a rough hand in recent years, having missed NCAA tournament play since 2009. Over the past four years, head coach Jackie Simpson Kirr has led the team to a combined record of 55-70.
A massive reason for this sub-.500 record is Clemson’s disappointing performances against ACC opponents. Last season, the Tigers went 11-20 overall, with 17 of those losses coming in ACC play.
Despite such an impressive beginning to the season, whether the Tigers have what it takes to continue to impress in the loaded ACC is yet to be determined. Their upcoming conference schedule includes Miami — which is just out of the top 25 rankings — as well as No. 4 Stanford, No. 5 Pitt, No. 10 SMU, No. 23 Georgia Tech and No. 25 UNC. The Tigers will face the Yellow Jackets twice later in the year.
Clemson will need a solid ACC record to lead the team to the tournament and back up its amazing nonconference start.
Like the Tigers’ football team, women’s volleyball did not utilize the transfer portal and recruitment heavily in the offseason. The Tigers boast a veteran squad, with only one freshman, which hopefully will help them finally get over the ACC hump and return the orange and purple to volleyball glory.
The Tigers took some hits in their lineup over the offseason. They lost 2024 All-ACC Freshman Team outside hitter Neea-Maria Joki in a transfer to Utah. Pin attacker Ażyah Dailey, libero Devan Taylor and middle hitter Indigo Young were all lost to graduation and ineligibility.
However, it’s next woman up — as in every sport — and the Tigers are still thriving.
Take redshirt sophomore Katherine Sandt, for instance. Sandt was named the ACC Co-Setter of the Week and achieved her third double-double, for assists and digs, of the season against Wofford. She is a bright, younger star for the Tigers who is surely going to help lead the team to an attempted steamrolling of ACC competition.
Sandt returns to the starting lineup this season alongside star pin attacker Mia McGrath and middle hitter Kate Hansen.
As nonconference play wraps up in the next week, the Tigers will have a massive shift of focus as they finally face ACC opponents. Jervey Gym will hopefully become a home of success once again as the Tigers seek to end their tournament drought.
Fans can expect success from this Clemson volleyball team, especially after flashes of promise seep through with a 9-0 start.
The Tigers will face Georgetown, Norfolk State and Charleston Southern in their upcoming schedule as a part of the Big Orange Bash event in Jervey Gym through this Thursday and Friday. ACC conference play begins Sept. 26, in a match at home against Florida State.