The Stanford Cardinal made quick work of the Clemson Tigers in the first-ever meeting between the ACC teams. Then-No. 6 Stanford swept Clemson, 3-0, on Friday evening at the Maples Pavilion in Stanford, California.
After the loss, Clemson had lost 13 straight games.
Within the first serves, Stanford took immediate control with Clemson’s attack error and two straight kills. Clemson saw an opening after sophomore middle hitter Kate Hansen had a kill for its first point and a successful service foot violation challenge. The Tigers continued to struggle offensively and defensively, hitting only 0.143 and a total of nine digs and let the Cardinal finish out the set 25-14.
Clemson, fighting for its first ACC win, came out in the second set ready to play, though a service error foretold the end. After sophomore libero McKenna Gildon’s service ace, Clemson gained the lead, giving the team momentum. Both teams exchanged points in a tightly contested set, and Clemson managed to tie the score multiple times.
Pin attackers Mia McGrath and Azyah Dailey worked to keep the Tigers within reach, putting up three and four kills, respectively, while McGrath also had four digs. Stanford sealed the set with a 25-18 victory after a kill.
The Cardinal jumped out to an early lead in the third and final set, taking a 7-3 lead. Hansen responded with a kill, but Stanford’s attack proved too much, and the Tigers found themselves at a 16-9 deficit. The team struggled to find a rhythm but had a late push, with kills from McGrath, Dailey and freshman pin attacker Lejla Sara Hadžiredžepović. Stanford set up a game point but was disrupted by a final kill from Dailey. However, the Cardinal completed the sweep with a 25-15 third set.
Despite the loss, Clemson had a personal victory, with McGrath surpassing 600 career kills during the match. The Tigers could not stop the Cardinal but had defensive stands from redshirt freshman setter Katherine Sandt with a total of eight digs and McGrath with nine.
Clemson’s record fell to 8-17, losing in straight sets to Cal a day after, and is now looking to regroup and improve as it finishes out the season in ACC play.
