The Clemson volleyball team began the 2019 season with a 25-21, 26-24, 25-19 sweep over Georgia on Friday night in Jervey Gym.
Both the Tigers and Bulldogs started out playing out of system, but as they settled in, the ball control really improved and allowed some heavy swings. Mckenna Slavik, a freshman setter for the Tigers, did a great job of mixing it up.
Although the Tigers trailed Georgia to begin the first set, they came back strong with heavy swings all across the front row — especially redshirt junior Kaylin Korte, who missed last season. Korte had five kills in the first set, hitting .300. Sophomore Solei Thomas also swung hard with four kills on only eight attempts, hitting .375. The Tigers took the first set 25-21 off a kill from Korte.
Slavik, running a 5-1, set up a really good offense. The freshman knew where her hitters were and kept the offense fast paced, also adding a big block in the front row using her 6-foot-1 size. The Tigers in the second set took huge advantage of the Georgia block, swinging high off their hands for tools.
Alyssa Deloney and Annika Clark are strong middles for the Tigers, and they kept Georgia guessing. Clark, who had five blocks, and junior middle hitter Alyssa Deloney came up with a huge block that sent the ball straight to the floor on the Bulldogs’ side of the net, giving Clemson the point (26-24) and a 2-0 lead heading into the break.
Coming out of the break, Clemson did not let up, sparking a 13-3 run, a deficit the Bulldogs could not recover from. The Tigers took set No. 3, 25-19, with the help of five Korte kills, including the final point to seal the match.
Clemson returns to Jervey Gym on Saturday for a pair of matches against Wofford (10 a.m.) and Kennesaw State (7 p.m.). Both matches are set to air on ACC Network Extra (ACCN).
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