The 2018-2019 volleyball season marked a massive step forward for the Clemson volleyball team. After three straight losing seasons and a combined record of 4-56 in ACC play, the Tigers finished with an overall record of 19-15 including eight wins in ACC matchups. Heading into the 2019-2020 season, the Tigers looked to build upon the momentum they built a season ago. With five wins in their first eight games, the Tigers are on their way to doing just that.
Since head coach Michaela Franklin’s first season three years ago, the Clemson volleyball program has been on a consistent rise. Last year, they had a stretch of six wins in eight matches against ACC opponents. After only four such wins over the previous three seasons, the run seemed to be a turning point for the program. The Tigers went on to secure their first two postseason wins in program history after defeating Alabama A&M and Radford in the National Invitational Volleyball Championship.
Having lost to the South Carolina Gamecocks in four straight seasons, Clemson was looking to put an end to their losing streak on Thursday, Sept. 12. After dropping the first two sets, the Tigers roared back into the match by winning the next two. Unfortunately, the Gamecocks went on a late run to secure the final set by a score of 15-10. While the loss was a difficult one for the Tigers, the match was significantly more competitive than it has been in recent years.
After bringing back nearly all of last year’s starting players, the Tigers were primed for another solid season this year. Led by Brooke Bailey, Kailyn Korte, Alyssa Deloney and Solei Thomas, the attack has been a strong point for the Tigers. After leading the team with 437 kills last year, Bailey has been off to a great start this year with 77 kills through the first eight games. Korte has led Clemson in kills this year with 91 through the first eight games. After missing all of last season with an injury, Korte has been on fire to start the season as she was named the MVP of the Big Orange Bash tournament during the final week of August.
The Big Orange Bash, Clemson’s annual home tournament, saw the Tigers take down Georgia, Wofford and Kennesaw State to win the title. Along with Korte’s MVP performance, Thomas and Bailey were named to the All-Tournament Team while setter McKenna Slavik was named Setter of the Tournament.
Entering her first collegiate season as a true freshman, Slavik’s rise to becoming the starting setter has been one of the more interesting developments of the early season. Gabby Easton held down the role last year as a true freshman and even earned All-ACC freshman honors after ranking second in the conference in assists. Easton totaled nearly 1,400 assists her freshman year, the second-most assists a freshman has had in Clemson history. With the emergence of Slavic however, Easton has taken on a backup role so far this season. It remains to be seen if Franklin opts for the more experienced Easton by the time the ACC schedule begins on Sept. 27. Either way, the Tigers will be in good hands.
With just a handful of out-of-conference games remaining, the Tigers will be preparing for the grind of the ACC schedule to begin at the end of September. After their first match against Boston College, the Tigers will play 18 games against ACC opponents in a nine-week stretch to close out the regular season. The ACC schedule has proved difficult to manage in years past, but after finding some success a season ago, Clemson will look to improve upon last year’s eight wins. If they can, they will likely have an opportunity to play for the program’s third postseason victory.
