Women's Volleyball
- Title:
- Head Coach
- Phone:
- 336-758-6997
With the Deacs finishing at 17-12 overall in fall 2023, it marked the first time the program has posted back-to-back seasons of 17 or more wins since 2000-01. Wake Forest also tallied eight wins in Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) play -- standing at two consecutive years of at least eight victories against ACC opponents. That such feat was a first for Wake Forest throughout program history since 2009-10. Against non-conference competition, Wake Forest finished 9-2 overall in the earlier half of the year. Up to date in the Smart coaching era, the program has held a 36-8 record versus non-conference foes. The team was tabbed No. 21 in the first NCAA RPI rankings list of the season released on Oct. 2, 2023 -- its highest nod in program history.
A total of three Deacs have landed nods on the ACC All-Freshman Team through the last two seasons (2022-23). The three selections are the most for Wake Forest in a two-year span since 1997-98. Standout libero Emma Farrell also collected two ACC Defensive Player of the Week honors in 2023 (Aug. 28 & Oct. 9). For her young career, she has earned four total ACC weekly awards -- the most ever by a player during Smart's tenure, up to date.
The Deacs set a new program record of selections to the 2023 All-ACC Academic Team, as 12 roster members earned nods.
Wake Forest pieced together a 17-14 overall record in 2022. Additionally, the Deacons grabbed 10 victories on their home floor, the most since the 2014 campaign. The team went on to participate in the 2022 National Invitational Volleyball Championship (NIVC) for its first postseason appearance since 1986 when the Deacs played in the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) Tournament before the event ceased in 2004.
As early as week two of the 2022 fall season, Wake Forest found itself ranked within the Atlantic Coast Conference’s (ACC) top five among all member institutions in digs-per-set, as a team. The Deacons finished third in the conference with a 14.50 digs-per-set average.
Emma Farrell was named the 2022 ACC Freshman of the Year after leading the conference in a digs-per-set average (4.41). The Norcross, Georgia, native became the first Deacon to attain such recognition since Christy Williams in 2002, along with being only the second, all-time Wake Forest player. Farrell and outside hitter Paige Crawford also were tabbed to the conference's 2022 All-Freshman Team, becoming the first pair in program history to secure All-Freshman selections in the same season since Caroline Rassenfoss and Caitlyn Della in 2016. Farrell and Crawford combined for a total of four ACC Freshman of the Week honors – the highest mark in the Smart coaching era.
Ten players earned selections to the All-ACC Academic Team at the 2022 season’s conclusion -- the second-best mark within program history.
Through the 2022 and 2021 fall seasons, Wake Forest has reached back-to-back winning years for the first time since 2000-01. The Deacons finished 15-14 overall in fall 2021, as defensive specialist Kalani Whillock tied for the conference lead in digs-per-set (4.19) while outside hitter Kamryn Malloy and setter Andrea Fuentes finished in the ACC's top-10 statistical categories of kills-per-set (3.56) and assists-per-set (10.15), respectively. Fuentes also was a top-five performer in service aces-per-set.
During the abbreviated spring season in 2020-21, Smart developed Ashley Slater to become an ACC All-Freshman Team pick.
Prior to her time at Cal State Los Angeles, Smart spend a combined 10 years as an assistant coach at Cal Poly Pomona and the University of La Verne. As an assistant at Cal Poly Pomona for four seasons, the Broncos went 73-40 while in her six years at La Verne, the Leopards won the program’s third-ever national championship in 2001.
Smart played overseas in Austria for one year after graduating from LSU in 1998. She spent her freshman and sophomore seasons playing at Utah State where she was named “Rookie of the Year” before transferring to LSU for her final two seasons. While with the Tigers, she received All-SEC honors.
Smart graduated from Glendora High School in Los Angeles where she earned All-CIF honors and was the league’s Most Valuable Player.
Smart and her husband Craig have two children, Tyler and Jordan.
