Clemson Defeats Virginia in Four Sets
The Clemson Tigers (14-10, 2-10 ACC) lost the opening set to the Virginia Cavaliers (10-12, 3-9 ACC) but bounced back to win the next three sets, finishing with a 3-1 victory on the road in Charlottesville. The final score was 22-25, 25-20, 25-19, 28-26.
Match Highlights
- Junior transfer Khaya Gordon led Clemson with 16 kills.
- Mia McGrath and Mia Moore contributed 13 and 12 kills respectively.
- Virginia opened strong, creating a five-point lead early in the first set.
- Clemson narrowed the gap to two points with kills from Gordon, Moore, and McGrath.
- Virginia regained a five-point lead by the media timeout and held on to win the first set 25-22.
Second Set Momentum
Clemson responded quickly in the second set, scoring three early points from kills by McGrath and Gordon and a solo block by Kate Hansen. Blocks played a key role as Nil Okur added two block assists, supported by Moore and Gordon, helping Clemson build a five-point lead that forced Virginia to take a timeout.
"The Tigers maintained the lead with kills from McGrath and Okur before McGrath sealed the set, 25-20."
Third Set Performance
The Tigers continued their momentum, stringing together three- and four-point runs including Luoma’s second ace of the match, to take control of the third set and secure the lead.
Summary
Clemson overcame an early deficit by leveraging strong offensive plays and teamwork, especially in blocking and critical kills, to win three consecutive sets and the match.
Author's summary: Clemson displayed resilience and strong teamwork to come back from an opening set loss and secure a well-earned 3-1 victory against Virginia.