Rather than stew over one blemish from an otherwise great weekend, the Clemson volleyball team must find a way to come out of the Clemson Invitational unscathed. After looking the part at times in the Big Orange Bash last weekend, the Tigers need to harness all the positive momentum they can.
Jackie Simpson Kirr's team took two of three matches with wins over the Charleston Southern Buccaneers (3-1) and the Western Carolina Catamounts (3-1) at Jervey Gym on Friday and Sunday, respectively. However, the Tigers were unable to beat the Butler Bulldogs on Saturday, falling 3-2 to the Big East program. Coming that close to winning all three of their matches certainly stings a bit.
If Clemson were to improve to 5-1 on the season, it could do wonders for the Tigers heading into conference play. Over the last two decades, ACC games have unraveled them, playing a huge part in Clemson not making the NCAA Tournament since 2009. While it is too early to tell what this season has in store for them, the Tigers need to take advantage of this window by stockpiling some wins.
Tigers must use Clemson Invitational to round into form for league play
Beginning on Friday night at Jervey Gym, the Tigers will host UNC Greensboro before drawing East Carolina on Saturday, and then Appalachian State on Sunday. Since these programs all hail from the Carolinas, travel is not going to be much of an issue for Clemson's three upcoming opponents. With them all being mid-major or less, now is the time for the Tigers to round into form before league play.
The ACC slate will be here before you know it, as Clemson will host Virginia on Friday, Sept. 25. With the SEC/ACC Challenge coming up next week with games at Ole Miss (Sept. 8) and at home vs. arch rival South Carolina (Sept. 11), now is the time to get every last win while you still can. There are a few more tune-ups after the SEC/ACC Challenge to be had, but every match is precious moving forward.
With a pair of Tigers earning ACC accolades for their showings last week, that could be a sign of more positive moments to come. Maddie Anspaugh was named ACC Freshman of the Week after being named Big Orange Bash Tournament MVP. She had 15-plus kills in each of Clemson's three matches. Her 20 kills on Sunday were the most by a Clemson freshman since the 2020-21 season.
Katherine Sandt also earned ACC honors by nabbing the Co-Setter of the Week. She had 130 assists over the weekend, as well as 31 digs and 11 kills in the Big Orange Bash Tournament. This was the third time she had earned Setter of the Week honors at Clemson, with the two previous coming last year. If Anspaugh and Sandt can keep playing like this, then 5-1 is not out of the question.
Overall, Clemson showed positive signs in its first three matches of the season, but there is still a long way to go for the Tigers. Players like Anspaugh and Sandt could become the building blocks this team needs to change its long-suffering ways. However, we are not going to know how good these Tigers can be until we see Simpson Kirr's team take on more worthy adversaries in the coming weeks.
For now, Clemson seems to be on tract to have the type of season most of the sport was expecting.
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