Wake Forest Athletics
Wake Forest University
Virginia
Wake Forest Fends Off Virginia Rally, Wins 3-2
10/14/2016 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
By Wake Forest Athletic Communications (@WakeVolleyball)
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. - Wake Forest managed to fend off a Virginia rally to win 3-2 Friday night.
Wake Forest (8-11) and Virginia (4-15) were neck-and-neck to begin the match. Neither squad led the first set by more than two points until back-to-back-to-back kills from senior Hanna Lee brought the Deacs ahead, 23-20. A service error from Hailey Brooke McFadden gave possession back to the Cavaliers but a huge kill from Kylie Long sealed the set in favor Wake Forest, 25-21. Caroline Rassenfoss and Lee were a steady offensive force in the first set, recording a combined 13 kills on only two errors.
The second set was a rollercoaster. UVA jumped out to an early 2-0 lead and continued to build. However, the Deacs would not give up. Down 12-4 at one point, Wake Forest recorded eight-straight points to tie the score 12-all. The remainder of the set would be a trade-off in runs and rallies but the Demon Deacons ultimately took the second set, 25-22. Caitlyn Della recorded a stellar second set complete with five kills, no errors and six total swings for a .833 clip. She would go on to record a career-high 16 kills and only one attack error for a final hitting percentage of .600.
Coming back from the break, it seemed as if Wake Forest had the match sealed. However, Virginia had other plans. The Deacs jumped out to an early lead but the Cavs went on to record eight-straight points to tie the set and take the lead, 18-15. Wake Forest attempted to rally back but an ace from Jennifer Wineholt sealed the set, 25-20, in favor of Virginia. The Demon Deacons were held to a -.031 clip in the third set after totaling 11 attack errors.
Entering the fourth set, Wake Forest was shaken up. The Cavaliers jumped out to a 6-0 lead and never looked back. Virginia recorded a .379 attack percentage in the fourth set with Jasmine Burton tallying an impressive six kills and no errors off of seven swings for a .857 attack percentage. The Cavs easily took the set, 25-18, to force a fifth, and deciding, set.
The Demon Deacons found themselves in a fifth set for the sixth time this season. In fact, Wake Forest had competed in a five-set match in their most recent match against Duke on Oct. 12. The Deacs ultimately lost the match, 2-3. However, this time would prove to be different. The Cavaliers sprung out to a 3-0 lead, forcing a Wake Forest timeout. After the break, the Deacs were still struggling to keep up with the Cavs, however, an attack error from Kelsey Miller tied up the match at five each and forced Virginia into a timeout. The Demon Deacons stepped it up and took the lead, 8-7, forcing the squads to switch sides. From there, Wake Forest remained in-control, tallying four-straight points to take a 13-9 lead. The remainder of the set was back-and-forth but it was the Demon Deacons that took the set victory 15-12 and the match 3-2.
The match victory was the first five-set win for the Deacs this season. Entering tonight, Wake Forest was 0-5 in five-set matches.
The match was also a special one for junior Caroline Wolf. Caroline tallied 18 digs on the evening to bring her career total to 1,393 digs. That total allowed for her to move into sole possession of third place in program history for career digs. Wolf passed Natasha Schaefer, who recorded 1,384 digs from 2003-2006.
The Demon Deacons wrap up their six-match homestand against Georgia Tech and Clemson. The Georgia Tech game will be held Oct. 21 at 6:30 p.m. in the LJVM Coliseum. The match will also be streamed on ACC Network Extra. The Deacs then face Clemson on Oct. 23. That match is set for 1 p.m. at the Summit School.
