CORAL GABLES, Fla. – The Miami volleyball program welcomed the Clemson Tigers to Freeman Indoor Stadium at the Knight Sports Complex, Friday, playing their fourth straight game on their home court.

The Hurricanes dropped a tight first set, 28-26, before winning the next three sets to earn the 3-1 victory over the Tigers. Miami improves to 6-8 on the season and 4-1 in ACC play.

Reigning ACC Freshman of the Week Ruth Martinez continued her impressive season, racking up 23 kills at a .409 hitting percentage against the Tigers. She added a service ace and five total blocks. Sonja Danilovic also tallied double digit kills, finishing with 11.

Ariana Rodriguez recorded 52 assists and four service aces, bringing her career total to 138, just four shy of tying the program record for service aces in a career.

Defensively, Denitsa Angelova led the way with seven blocks. She also ranked third on the team with total kills, recording nine alongside Asia Harvey.

Set 1: Clemson 28, Miami 26
Clemson and Miami played a tightly contested first set, with neither team building larger than a three-point lead for its entirety. The Hurricanes took a 3-2 lead early, capitalizing on a Denitsa Angelova block, before the Tigers scored three straight to take a 5-3 lead. Miami came back to tie the set multiple times but never retook the lead, giving way to Clemson to build a three-point lead, making it an 11-8 game.

Down 13-9, the Hurricanes went on a run, scoring four straight thanks to kills by Logan Wiley, Ruth Martinez and another Angelova block to tie the set. Clemson took the 14-13 lead, and the teams continued to go back-and-forth until Miami scored two straight to take a 21-19 lead.

Kills from Martinez and Sonja Danilovic gave Miami set point, but the Tigers continued to fight, scoring three straight to tie it at 24. Both teams battled, and with Miami leading 25-26, Clemson scored three conescutive points to earn the 28-26 first set victory.

Set 2: Miami 25, Clemson 20
The second set was played similarly to the first, with neither team building larger than a three-point lead until the Hurricanes surpassed 20 points. The Tigers held a 4-2 lead early, but the Hurricanes scored three straight to take a 5-4 lead. Clemson returned the favor, scoring the next three points to retake a two-point lead.

The Hurricanes continued to play from behind, eventually tying the set at 12. Momentum seemed to stay with Clemson though, as they pulled ahead twice more after Miami came back to tie.

Trailing 19-18, Martinez recorded a kill to tie the set, before a Tigers’ error and Ariana Rodriguez kill gave Miami a two-point lead. Clemson scored one to make it 21-20, but the Hurricanes went on a 4-0 run to close the set, seeing two Martinez kills and a Gaby Arroyo ace, tying the match at one set each.

Set 3: Miami 25, Clemson 19
The Tigers earned yet another early lead, going up 5-2 on the Hurricanes through the first seven points. Miami continued to battle, finally pulling even at 12 before Rodriguez recorded a kill and an ace to force the media timeout with the Hurricanes on top.

Miami added two points out of the timeout to force a Tigers’ timeout, eventually taking an 18-14 lead. The Hurricanes remained in control through the course of the set, outscoring Clemson 7-5 to seal the third set victory.

Set 4: Miami 25, Clemson 13
The Hurricanes controlled the third set early, never taking their foot off the gas. Miami opened a 4-0 lead with Rodriguez serving, as Danilovic and Wiley recorded a block, Harvey and Martinez each tallied kills, and Rodriguez landed yet another service ace.

After taking a timeout, Clemson found its way onto the scoreboard, going on to outscore Miami 7-4 to pull within one. The Hurricanes recorded three straight thanks to back-to-back Danilovic kills, rebuilding Miami’s lead to four before another small run gave it a 15-9 lead.

The Hurricanes posted two runs of four straight points through the remainder of the set, including the final four points, as Angelova recorded a block and the final kill to secure the victory for Miami.

Up Next: The Miami Hurricanes will wrap a five-match homestand Sunday, hosting Georgia Tech, a team receiving votes in the national polls. First serve is set for 1 p.m. with coverage on ACCNX.