On Friday and Saturday, Stanford women’s volleyball will welcome Clemson and No. 16 Georgia Tech to The Farm. Stanford will play Clemson on Friday and Georgia Tech on Saturday. Georgia Tech will play at Cal on Friday while Clemson will play at Cal on Saturday. Both matches will be at 7:00 PM PT on ACCNX.

Stanford comes in at 17-4 overall and 9-3 in the ACC, Clemson comes in at 8-15 overall and 0-12 in the ACC, and Georgia Tech comes in at 17-4 overall and 9-3 in the ACC.

Last time out: Stanford is coming off a road split at Miami and No. 24 Florida State.

RECAP: No. 5 Stanford WVB gets sweep in Sunshine State

On Clemson: The Tigers are having a really rough season as their record indicates. They’ve been swept in seven of their twelve ACC losses and have only forced a fifth set once all season against No. 16 Georgia Tech.

The Tigers are led by freshman pin attacker (outside hitter) Lejla Sara Hadziredzepovic (3.22 kills per set), senior pin attacker Azyah Dailey (2.92 kills), and sophomore pin attacker Kennedy Wagner (2.82 kills). The three of them are playing well and form a solid trio.

As a team, the Tigers average 12.10 kills, 11.14 assists, 16.31 digs, 1.32 service aces, and 2.20 blocks per set while hitting .181. Their opponents average 12.88 kills, 11.92 assists, 16.61 digs, 1.61 service aces, and 2.14 blocks per set while hitting .203.

On Georgia Tech: The Yellow Jackets have had a strong season so far. Since getting swept at No. 4 Louisville, the Yellow Jackets have won eight straight matches. Assuming they take care of business at Cal on Friday, they’ll be coming to town on a nine match winning streak.

The Yellow Jackets are led by senior outside hitter Bianca Bertolino (3.49 kills) and senior outside hitter Tamara Otene (3.49 kills per set). The two of them form a fantastic duo and pose a lot of problems for opposing teams.

As a team, the Yellow Jackets average 13.32 kills, 12.58 assists, 15.14 digs, 1.68 service aces, and 1.81 blocks per set while hitting .240. Their opponents average 11.21 kills, 10.59 assists, 13.23 digs, 0.86 service aces, and 2.16 blocks per set while hitting .187.

Keys to the weekend: The first thing Stanford needs to do is maintain their strong service pressure without giving up too many service errors. Stanford is averaging a very solid 1.69 service aces per set. If that keeps up and they are able to minimize the service errors a bit, they’ll be in a good spot. Freshman setter Taylor Yu has been fantastic with her serves all season long. Look for her serving to have a real impact.

The second thing Stanford needs to do is sweep Clemson. Clemson is terrible. If Stanford wants to increase their chances of holding serve against Georgia Tech, it starts with taking care of business against Clemson. The last thing Stanford wants to have happen is drop a set against Clemson or heaven forbid have it go to a fifth set.

Finally, Stanford needs to maintain good kill distribution. Elia Rubin is leading the way with her 3.92 kills per set while Ipar Kurt isn’t too far behind at 3.09 kills per set. If they keep doing their thing and also get quality assistance from Jordyn Harvey, Sami Francis, and others, they’ll be fine.

Prediction: I got Stanford sweeping Clemson and defeating Georgia Tech in four sets. I think the Yellow Jackets will take a set, but as for the Tigers, that one should be over quick.

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