CLEMSON, S.C. – Mckenna Slavik clocked 34 assists to move into fourth all-time on Clemson’s career list as she guided the Tigers to a 3-0 sweep of Wofford on Sunday afternoon in Jervey Gym. Clemson’s victory (25-20, 28-26, 25-18) against Wofford secured the tournament win of the Big Orange Bash and the 2-0 start on the year.
Clemson and Wofford traded points for a majority of the first set. A huge solo block by graduate Adria Powell, who finished the match with six, gave the Tigers the spark to open the scoring gap making it 17-14. Two kills from Kate Simington helped keep momentum in Clemson’s favor as the Terriers attempted to push back. A balanced offensive attack with kills coming from seven Tigers allowed the team to hit .372 and ultimately take set one, 25-20.
Freshman phenom Kennedy Wagner hit her stride in the second set clocking 10 kills with seven digs to keep the Tigers in the fight; Wagner went on to tally 17 kills and 10 digs on the match for her first collegiate double-double. The Terriers and the Tigers once against swapped points for the first two-third of the set until Wofford went on a 3-0 run to make it 19-16 in its favor. Clemson battled back with six kills from Wagner and an ace from Sophie Catalano to tie things at 24-all. Slavik and McGrath were able to catch Wofford’s defense off balance and tally the final two kills for Clemson to close set two, 28-26.
The Tigers went on multiple 4-0 scoring runs in the third that were spearheaded by two service aces by Slavik. Clemson can contribute five total points in the third set to aces after Devan Taylor and Catalano added two and one, respectively, alongside Slavik’s. Three kills each from Simington and Mia McGrath helped spur the Tigers to late runs that ultimately helped take set three, 25-18, and seal the sweep.
Big Orange Bash All-Tournament Team:
MVP: Kennedy Wagner (Clemson)
Heather Kahl Holmes Setter of the Tournament: Mckenna Slavik (Clemson)
Ayzah Dailey (Clemson)
Sarah MacLean (Wofford)
Mary Emily Morgan (Wofford)
Laure Jansen (MTSU)
Up Next
Clemson is back in action on Wednesday, Aug. 30 traveling to Columbia to face in-state rival South Carolina in the Palmetto Series. Action on Wednesday is slated to begin at 7 p.m. on SEC+.
