Syracuse Volleyball Suffers Tenth Straight Loss in Sweep at Clemson
By Ryan Croke | @ryancroke_
CLEMSON, S.C. — Syracuse volleyball (13-16, 5-14 Atlantic Coast Conference) was beaten by Clemson (17-14, 5-14 ACC) in straight sets on Tuesday to extend its losing streak to ten matches. It’s the third straight sweep suffered by the Orange, their longest such streak this season.
The first frame was a close but rudimentary win for the Tigers. Clemson took the set 25-21.
Set two was particularly heartbreaking for the Orange. SU led 23-21 with the chance to equalize, but a 5-1 Clemson run gave the Tigers a 2-0 advantage—and they never looked back.
Set three was the most comfortable of the day for Clemson. Its 25-17 match-sealing set win was its largest of the day.
The defeat followed a similar script as many of the previous nine that make up the ten-game skid: The Orange attack couldn’t stand up to its opposing counterpart.
In eight of the 10 consecutive defeats, SU has recorded a lower hitting percentage than its opponent. That continued on Tuesday, with Clemson’s .254 rate easily surpassing SU’s .138. It’s the ninth match in the losing streak in which the Orange’s hitting percentage was below .200.
Not a single Orange player tallied double-digit kills. Outside hitter Gabby McLaughlin’s nine marked a team high.
Fellow OH Skylar George got off to a strong start, picking up each of the team’s first three kills of the match—good for three of the first four Orange points. George added only two kills the rest of the way, ending the day with a match-low -0.77 individual hitting percentage.
By contrast, Clemson outside hitter Mia McGrath could not be stopped. Her match-high 14 kills came on an absurdly efficient .542 hitting percentage. Her counterpart, Mia Moore, added 11 of her own. Both attackers were the only players on either team to record double-digit kills.
The Orange volleyball season wraps up this Friday when Virginia Tech (11-18, 3-15 ACC) enters the Women’s Building for a clash slated for 3 p.m. SU beat VT in the sides’ first meeting this year, a 3-1 Orange victory in Blacksburg.
For coverage of that match, which concludes the Syracuse volleyball season, follow @ryancroke_ and @CitrusTVSports on Twitter/X.
