CLEMSON, S.C. – Clemson Volleyball landed a program-record eight Tigers on the 2023 All-ACC Academic Team, the conference office announced Wednesday. Clemson’s eight selections surpass the program’s previous record of seven set in 2022 and was led by fourth-year selection Mckenna Slavik and second-year selections Azyah Dailey and Devan Taylor. The other five honorees, McKenna Gildon, Katie Hurta, Adria Powell, Kate Simington and Kateryna Tkachenko, made their All-ACC Academic Team debuts.
Minimum academic requirements for selection to the All-ACC Academic Team are a 3.0-grade point average for the previous semester and a 3.0 cumulative average during one’s academic career. Athletic achievements during the most recent season are also considered in selecting the team.
Slavik (Saint Charles, Ill.) completed her final season as a Tiger while pursuing a master’s in athletic leadership. Starting in 135 matches during her Clemson career, she tied for the most matches by any Tiger volleyball player. She all had 4,838 career assists to rank third all-time. For the second-consecutive year, she was a College Sports Communicator Academic All-District selection.
Dailey (Port Charlotte, Fla.) finished her junior year while majoring in sociology. She finished the fall season with double-digit kills in eight matches and tied a career-high with 15 kills against South Carolina and North Carolina. Taylor (Spring, Texas) also concluded her junior season as a bioengineering major. She tallied double-digit digs in 27 matches and moved into seventh all-time on Clemson’s record book with 1,284 digs.
Gildon (pre-business), Hurta (financial management), Powell (masters in athletic leadership), Simington (pre-business) and Tkachenko (psychology) contributed to the Tigers success on the court and help Clemson to the ‘Great Eight’ of the NIVC and highest ACC and RPI finish under Head Coach Jackie Simpson Kirr’s tenure.
Clemson has had 28 Tigers garner 48 selections since the award began in 2005. The ACC Honor Roll, which recognizes all conference student-athletes with a grade point average of 3.0 for the current academic year, will be released in July.
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