CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – Katie Hurta, Kennedy Wagner and Azyah Dailey all finished with double-digit kills to propel Clemson (11-6, 2-3 ACC) to a 3-1 victory (24-26, 25-19, 29-27, 25-12) on Friday evening against Virginia (8-7, 1-4 ACC). Hurta led the charge with 15 kills, while Dailey finished with 12. Wagner tabbed her second double-double of her freshman campaign with 13 kills and a season-high 16 digs.
Junior Devan Taylor joined Wagner with double-digit digs, adding 13. Mckenna Slavik finished with 43 assists, one shy of tying for third on Clemson’s all-time list. Slavik also led the team with three aces, while graduate Adria Powell tallied a team-high four blocks, all assisted.
The Tigers began the match by hitting .333 in the opening frame after four different Tigers recorded a .400 hitting percentage or higher led by Hurta clocking .600. The Cavaliers got the upper hand while at the service line, clinching nine points from both teams’ serves to push take the lead. Hurta brought Clemson back with kills to make it 23-all and 24-all, but the Tigers dropped the opening frame, 26-24.
Clemson responded in the second after once again hitting .333 as a team. Hurta continued to elevate the Tigers offensively, and Wagner joined her in the pursuit. As a team, the Tigers were able to string together multiple points at a time that Virginia wasn’t able to keep up with. A late ace from sophomore Sophie Catalano helped seal the 25-19 set win.
The Tigers kept the scoring streak hot in the third as Hurta, Wagner and Dailey tabbed early kills. As Catalano stepped back to the service line in the third set, Clemson put together a six-point scoring run with kills from Dailey and Wagner to take a 15-8 lead. Virginia evened the set at 18-all, but an ace from Mckenna Slavik and a combined block from Slavik and Adria Powell turned the tide back in favor of Clemson as the Tigers took set three, 29-27.
The Tigers continued their momentum into the fourth by going on an 8-0 opening run that was highlighted by two aces from Slavik, a solo block by Kate Simington and a solo block from Hurta. Clemson continued to run away with the match as Dailey, Wagner and Powell added to their block counts. Clemson closed out the match going on a 13-7 scoring run with kills from Simington, Powell and Kateryna Tkachenko.
