Demon Deacons End Season Against Boston College

Friday, April 2

Winston-Salem, N.C.

2 P.M.

Wake Forest University

Boston College

4/2/2021 5:32:00 PM | Women's Volleyball

Box Score

By: Sam Doughton

Winston-Salem, N.C. – Wake Forest volleyball fell to Boston College 3-2 on Friday at LJVM Coliseum after taking the opening set and winning a thrilling fourth set that went to extra points.

On senior day, senior Madeline Holt dished out a season-high 44 assists, while fellow senior Paige Sebesta helped hold down the back row with 16 digs. Caroline Kuhn capped off her Demon Deacon career with 14 kills from outside, while Alysia Nielson added four digs.

Freshman Ashley Slater led the Deacs with a career-high 27 kills across the five-set match, the most kills by a Demon Deacon since Jazmen Russell had 29 against Georgia Tech on November 7, 2014. Slater's 30.5 points are the most by a Wake Forest player since Jazmen Russel's 32.0 in that same match. Freshman Olivia Franke led the Deacs from the middle, adding a career-high 11 kills while hitting .529 on the afternoon.

How It Happened
The first set began as a back and forth affair, before Wake Forest gained the upper hand with a 5-0 run to go from down 12-11 to up 16-12. Caroline Kuhn started the run with a kill and served tough to keep the momentum, as Ashley Slater picked up two kills to take the lead. The Eagles were able to claw the score line back to as close as 21-20 Wake, but the Deacs closed out the set with a 4-0 run, capped off by an Olivia Franke solo block, to take the set 25-21. Wake Forest's hitters combined to hit .387 across the first set.

Boston College regained momentum in the second set, taking an early lead 3-2 after siding out Wake Forest's serve at 2-0 and never looked back, earning the set win 25-13. Slater continued her strong first set (seven kills) momentum with three more kills in the second.

The third set saw more of the same, as the Eagles never trailed after taking the lead 6-5, going on to quell the Deacs attack 25-16. Paige Sebesta tallied six digs in the set, while Madeline Holt earned Wake Forest's first service ace of the afternoon and added three digs of her own. Slater once again led the Deacs in kills with four in the set.

The fourth set proved to be a battle, with 18 tied scores and seven lead changes, with Deacs ultimately coming out on top 33-31. Olivia Franke smashed five kills on six swings with no attack errors in the set, while Slater led Wake Forest in both kills (8) and digs (6) in the set. Five Deacs (Franke, Slater, Chloe Wilson, Zoe Gonzales and Delaney McSweeney) combined to earn four points of blocks for Wake Forest as the Demon Deacons came alive to keep the set going down the stretch.

The fifth set continued the tightly contested match, with another 11 ties and four lead changes. Wake Forest fought back from a double-match point down 14-12 to tie the match at 14-14 thanks to a Kuhn kill and a Franke-Wilson block. The Eagles put away the final two points to take the set 16-14, and the match 3-2. Slater again led Wake Forest in the set with five kills and chipped in a service ace. The Deacs hit .333 in the set with nine kills total and only three attack errors.

Coach's Comments
"It was a tough way to end the match and to end the season, but I am proud of this group today. They did not give up. The second and third sets were tough, but they handled the fourth and kept going to battle for each point. This match truly showed the growth this team has had in one of the toughest seasons we've ever been a part of.

We are so thankful for our seniors; they have been great leaders and have left a mark on this program that will be remembered forever. We are proud to call all six of them Demon Deacons." – head coach Randi Smart