Wake Forest Athletics
Wake Forest University
UNC Greensboro
Volleyball Sweeps Doubleheader
8/26/2017 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
Final Stats | Final Stats Game 1 | Final Box Game 1 (PDF) 
| Final Box Game 2 (PDF)
By Wake Forest Athletic Communications (@WakeVolleyball)
GREENSBORO, N.C. - The Wake Forest volleyball team swept two matches on Saturday to take home the championship trophy of the Spartan-Demon Deacon Classic.
The Deacs started off the day by storming back to win three straight sets to take down UMass Lowell, 3-1. Then, in the final match of the tournament, the Deacs defeated UNCG, 3-1, in front of a record crowd of 1,203 at Fleming Gymnasium.
The two wins on Saturday puts the team at 3-0 for the first time since 2013.
After the tournament, Caroline Wolf and Caitlyn Della were selected to the Spartan-Demon Deacon Classic All-Tournament Team, while Kylie Long earned the tournament's MVP Award.
Match 1 - UMass Lowell
After falling in the first set, the Demon Deacons roared back to take the next three sets and win the match, 3-1.
"I was really impressed with our ability to bounce back and grind," head coach Bill Ferguson said. "This morning's match was one of those matches where everything was a struggle. I was proud of how we hung in there this morning and took care of the match."
The Deacs outhit the River Hawks .250 to .119. Wake Forest also contributed 13.5 total team blocks compared to just eight for UMass Lowell. Individually, the Deacs were led by Rassenfoss, who led the team with 17 kills. Fellow sophomore Della also had an outstanding match, producing 11 kills and a team leading .529 hitting percentage. Wolf led the team with 12 digs.
UMass Lowell controlled the first set, leading most of the way. They were solid with their serve, delivering five aces in the set.
After falling behind the in the second set, the Deacs raced back to take the set, 29-27. Long and Rassenfoss combined for 15 kills, while Wake Forest outhit the River Hawks .293 to .154. The Demon Deacons took the set on their fourth set point, as a UMass Lowell attack landed just wide.
The Deacs once again rallied in the third set, as the River Hawks held a slim lead most of the way. Wake Forest finally retook the lead at 19-18 and never looked back, winning 25-21. Rassenfoss led the team with five kills in the set.
In the fourth set, no comeback was needed, as Wake Forest took control of the set early on, winning five straight points in the middle of to build a 14-9 lead. From there, the Deacs capitalized on the momentum and clinched the match on Jayda Howard's first ace of the season.
Match 2 - UNCG In their second match of the day, the Demon Deacons controlled play from the opening serve, winning the first two sets comfortably, losing a hard-fought third set and reestablishing control to take the fourth set, 25-15, and the match, 3-1.
"For tonight's match, we watched UNCG and the coaches put together a very good game plan," Ferguson said. "The girls executed as well. We were really disciplined on defense and we were blocking and digging extremely well."
Long recorded a team high 18 kills and produced a solid .270 hitting percentage. Joining her in double digit kills were Rassenfoss and Della, who delivered 11 and 10, respectively.
In the first set, the Deacs jumped out to a quick lead and continued to pull away, taking the set by a 25-11 margin. Wake Forest dominated play in the first, outhitting UNCG .417 to .071. Rassenfoss led the team with four kills in the set.
The Demon Deacons continued their sound play in the second set. Just as in the first, they began to pull away midway through the set to win, 25-17. The Deacs outhit the Spartans .200 to .000.
UNCG rebounded in the third set, leading most of the way. Wake Forest made a late run, cutting the Spartans lead to 22-20. However, UNCG took the final three points to win the set, 25-20.
The Demon Deacons reclaimed the momentum with a convincing win in the fourth set that allowed them to claim the match. Long was outstanding, delivering seven kills and a .357 hitting percentage. The Deacs were strong defensively, as well, holding UNCG to a -.188 hitting percentage.
Up next, the team will head west to take part in the Omni Hotels Tournament, hosted by the University of Colorado in Boulder. The Deacs play twice next Friday, Sept. 1. They take on Rice at 12 p.m. before battling Abilene Christian at 7 p.m. On Saturday, Sept. 2, the Deacs will face off with Colorado at 3 p.m.
