Deacs Drop Four Set Battle to Wolfpack

Sunday, March 14

Winston-Salem, N.C.

4 P.M.

Wake Forest University

0-10,0-9ACC

NC State

6-7,5-7ACC

NC State

Wake Forest

3/14/2021 7:40:00 PM | Women's Volleyball

Box Score

By: Cameron Basnight

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – The Wake Forest volleyball team dropped its final game of the weekend, 3-1, to NC State.

The Demon Deacons were led by senior Caroline Kuhn, sophomore Peyton Suess and freshman Ashley Slater. Kuhn headed the offense with 14 kills. Suess and Slater followed 12 and 11 kills respectively. This is the first time this spring season three Demon Deacons have had over 10 kills in the same match.

Madeline Holt, the senior from Illinois, showed off her offensive versatility. The Demon Deacons starting setter had 32 assists, three kills, and four blocks. Holt finished the match with an impressive .750 hitting percentage.

Freshman Olivia Franke and sophomore Zoe Gonzales were two strong defensive forces at the net. Franke led the team with a total of eight blocks and tagged on two kills on five attempts, giving her a .400 hitting percentage. Gonzales finished with five blocks and three kills.

How It Happened
The first set was a close finish, but NC State took it 23-25. Wake Forest came battling back in the second set. The Demon Deacons got an early 6-2 lead. The Wolfpack came back to tie it up 10-10. After a service ace from Holt, the Demon Deacons grabbed the lead and did not look back. The Deacs went on a four-point run to extend their lead late in the set, 22-18. Wake Forest and NC State battled it out in the final point but a final kill by Kuhn secured the Demon Deacons the win. Wake Forest took the second set 25-22.

From the start of the third set, Wake Forest was trying to tie NC State. A kill by Slater stopped the Wolfpack's five-point run at 16-21. Wake Forest got it narrowed down to 21-23 but that was as close as the Deacs got to the lead. NC State took the third set 22-25. The fourth set was similar to the third for the Deacs. NC State grabbed an early lead and Wake Forest could not catch up. The Demon Deacons lost the final set 19-25, to lose the match 1-3.

Coach's Comments
"It would have been nice to get a win today. We have been playing well and improving consistently, but this was a tough one, especially against a Big 4 opponent. We are going to go back to the drawing board this week and get to work on North Carolina and Notre Dame." – head coach Randi Smart

Up Next
The Demon Deacons hit the Tobacco Road Friday to face the Tar Heels at North Carolina. The Deacs will then face the Notre Dame Irish Saturday.

First serve on Friday is set for 5 p.m. and first serve Saturday will be 3 p.m. Friday's match will stream on ACC Network Extra.