Wake Forest University
Miami
Demon Deacons Bounce Back To Sweep Miami
11/2/2008 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
Nov. 2, 2008
Box Score | Box Score in PDF Format 
CORAL GABLES, Fla. - Four different Demon Deacons recorded double-digit digs to lead the Wake Forest volleyball team to a three-set sweep of host Miami Sunday afternoon at the James Knight Complex.
Sophomore setter Kelsey Jones also surpassed the 2,000 career assist mark as she dished out 36 helpers in the win. Jones was also just four kills away from a triple-double as she recorded a season-high six kills and 12 digs.
Wake improves to 16-9 overall and 7-6 in the ACC with the victory while Miami drops to 20-5 overall and 8-5 in the conference.
The win (25-19, 25-22, 25-22) completed the season sweep for the Demon Deacons over their rivals from Florida as Wake also claimed a three-set victory over the `Canes back on Sept. 26 in Winston-Salem. The win was also the first road victory in the ACC for the Wake this season.
Junior Abby Miller played a second straight solid match in the back row for the Deacons, leading all players with 20 digs. It was her highest total in a three-set match this season.
Sophomore libero Megan Thornberry also played very good defense, collecting 16 digs and fellow sophomore Kristen White chipped in with 11.
The Deacons had a total of 77 digs in the match, which is also their highest total in a three-set match. Wake outdug Miami by ten, 77-67 and also recorded a total of six blocks compared to just four for the Hurricanes.
Coming off her worst hitting match of the season on Friday, graduate student Natalie Mullikin stepped up this afternoon, notching a team-high 14 kills with just two errors for a .400 hitting percentage. She also led the team with four total blocks, including two block solos.
White added nine kills to go along with her 11 digs and senior Ashley Homitz chipped in with eight kills and just one error for a .412 hitting percentage. Freshman Kadija Fornah also had seven kills in the win.
Lane Carico led three Miami players in double-digit kills with 14. She also notched a double-double in the match, notching 11 digs.
Genny Mayhew and Angelica Ellis each added 10 kills while setter Katie Gallagher also recorded a double-double with 25 assists and 12 digs.
Miami jumped out to an early 3-0 lead in the opening set but a service ace from White got the Deacons rolling and they would tie the score at 4-4. Wake would eventually take as much as a two point lead but Miami fought back to tie it up again at 11-11.
With the score tied at 18-18, the Deacons got an ace from Miller and a kill from Mullikin to spark a 7-1 run to finish off the set 25-19. Fornah had a pair of kills in the run while Mullikin had a block and Jones added her third kill of the set.
Both teams played well in the opening stanza, as Wake hit a blistering .412 with 15 kills and just one error and the `Canes had 18 kills and just four errors for a .359 hitting percentage.
The teams started the second set close again but three straight kills from Mullikin, Jones and White would give Wake a 12-7 advantage. The Deacs would keep their 5-point edge and ultimately open up a six-margin at 19-13, forcing a Hurricane timeout.
A kill from Ellis jump started a 5-1 Miami run to close to within two at 20-18. However, an attack error from the `Canes followed by a block from Mullikin and Homitz would push the Deacon lead back to four at 22-18.
Miami would again cut the lead to two at 22-20 but that's when the Deacs turned to their captain. Mullikin scored the next three Wake Forest points to give the Deacs a 25-22 victory and a two-sets to none lead heading into the break.
Thanks to four straight kills from White, Mullikin, Fornah and Jones, Wake would run out to a 7-3 lead early in the third set. But, the Hurricanes got on track and kills from Mayhew and Carico sparked a 9-2 spurt to give Miami a 12-9 advantage.
Wake responded to tie the set at 14-14 and kills from Jones and Mullikin would give the Deacs another three-point edge at 17-14. Again, the `Canes would comeback to tie the score at 19-19 but kills from Homitz and sophomore Lauren McIntyre gave Wake a 21-19 lead, forcing a Miami timeout.
Homitz and Ellis traded kills making the score 22-20 in favor of the Deacs but a kill from Carico and a block assist from Ellis and Gallagher would tie the score a 22-22 leading to a Wake Forest timeout.
The stop of play proved to be key, as White and Mullikin got back-to-back kills to give Wake a match-point at 24-20 and Mullikin and Jones would then team up to stuff Mayhew's attack and give the Demon Deacons the 25-22 victory.
Wake hit a solid .301 for the match compared to just .212 for Miami. The 51 kills for the Deacons were the most in a three-set match this season and Wake hit over .300 for the first time in ACC-play.
The Demon Deacons remain in a tie for seventh-place in the ACC with Florida State at 7-6. Wake trails second-place Georgia Tech, Duke and North Carolina by just two matches and everyone is looking up at Clemson at 10-3.
Wake returns home for a pair of key ACC tilts next weekend. Second-place Georgia Tech comes to town for a 7 p.m. match on Friday night while the ACC-leading Clemson Tigers come to Reynolds Gym for a 7 p.m. match on Saturday. The Deacons are tied for second in the NCAA with a 12-1 record at home this season.
