PREVIEW
- Coming off winning the Western Michigan Tournament, the Clemson Tigers (2-1) head to Statesboro, Ga. for the GATA Challenge.
- The Tigers enter the GATA Challenge with wins over Loyola Chicago, 3-0, and Western Michigan, 3-1.
- Clemson will face off against Maryland Eastern Shore on Friday, September 6 at 2:00 P.M. and host team Georgia Southern on Saturday, September 7 at 4:00 P.M. The match against Georgia Southern will be broadcast on ESPN+.
- This weekend will mark the first time the Tigers will play Maryland Eastern Shore.
- This will be the fifth time that Clemson will play Georgia Southern where the Tigers hold a 4-0 all-time record with the last meeting coming in 2017 where Clemson won 3-0.
WESTERN MICHIGAN TOURNAMENT RECAP
- Clemson started off the 2024 season with a 3-0 sweep over the Loyola Chicago Ramblers Friday afternoon.
- The Tigers won the tournament after ending Western Michigan’s 19-game home winning streak that dated back to the 2022 season.
- Junior Mia McGrath won the tournament MVP while posting 33 digs, 32 kills and 41 points.
- Seniors Azyah Dailey (five blocks, 35 kills, 39 points) and Devan Taylor (14 assists, 53 digs, 4.82 digs per set) each made the all-tournament team.
REACHING NEW HEIGHTS
- Devan Taylor supplanted herself further in the record book for the Tigers, surpassing Denise Murphy and Jodi Steffes for the fifth most digs in Clemson history with 1,337. Her 53 digs and 4.82 digs per set on the weekend each rank as third-most in the ACC.
- Azyah Dailey had the 400th kill of her career during the tournament while also posting a career-high in kills in a single game with 19 against Western Michigan. The senior leads the team in kills (35) and kills per set (3.18)
- Mia McGrath also registered the 400th kill of her career during weekend play as well as her 500th point as a Tiger. The tournament MVP additionally recorded a career-high in digs with 20, leads the team in points at 41 and is second on the team with 32 kills.
- In her first weekend in action, Katherine Sandt recorded two doubles-doubles in consecutive games and had 91 assists, the fourth-most in the ACC.
- Transfer Kate Hansen put up the 100th block in her career during the weekend and leads the team in blocks with 10.
THE KIDS ARE ALRIGHT
- Neea-Maria Joki and Claire Luoma each made their Clemson debuts during the Western Michigan Tournament.
- Joki has started all three games for the Tigers and leads the team in kills (11) during her collegiate debut while…