Wake Forest Athletics
Photo by: Eric Roth
Deacon Sports Xtra: High Hopes for Demon Deacons as Conference Play Begins
9/28/2021 12:34:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
As the Wake Forest volleyball team jumped out to a 9-2 start this season, they enjoyed seven straight-set wins, and dropped just a single set in wins against Lipscomb and Appalachian State.
Then there's the five-set tussle against Kansas in Nashville, where the Deacs eventually fell 26-24, 21-25, 25-23, 23-25, 11-15.
"I want that Kansas match back, if I can be honest, but I'm really proud of the team," second-year Wake Forest coach Randi Smart said. "They're figuring out how to win this season. You're older and wiser. Effort and communication are awesome, but that's the price of admission at this level. You have to execute as well, so we have to get these guys on the same track of executing when it matters and adapting to situations. You're going to face different situations all the time and we have to be ready."
They also had a five set-battle with ACC foe Clemson, with Clemson taking the first and third sets (25-16, 27-25) and the Deacs taking the second and fourth (25-21, 25-15) to force a fifth. Clemson won the fifth 15-13 to win the match.
"We've had a lot of matches where we could have lost a set. But the maturity and leadership of these kids has pushed them when we've got to 20-21 and 21-22, and we've come out on top. I'm proud of them for that."
The Demon Deacons have added veteran playmakers Kamryn Malloy from Indiana and Andrea Fuentes from Missouri via the NCAA Transfer Portal.
"It's been going super well, and a big turnaround from last year," Malloy said. "I have no doubt in my mind that this team can be super successful. We don't have just one star player. In all directions, we're bringing a lot of talent. That makes it a lot easier on us, knowing not one single player has to carry the load.
"We all can contribute and become an offensive team. Every single outlet is really tricky to defend. That's what we want to continue in ACC play, just every single player bringing their A-game and making it hard for the other team to figure out how to defend us."
Smart has seen her team come together better during the summer months, as they've been able to train and spend time together away from the volleyball court.
"Even with the junior class, they hadn't had an offseason with us to train," Smart said. "It's been learning from a firehose. We've brought some players in on the transfer side who have a lot of experience and a lot of big-time matches they've played in.
"They've invited teammates over to their house to watch movies or have dinner. I know the sophomores make sure the freshmen come over to hang out. Covid was hard. You want to build a team, but we had to keep everybody away from each other, which is the worst thing you can do for everybody. But it's just the way we had to live to have a season. They seem to be doing really well this year though. The energy in the gym is good, and that comes from being together away from volleyball and hanging out as well. It is easier to push each other when you have trust."
Freshman libero Kalani Whillock leads the Deacs so far this season with 190 digs.
"Our freshman libero has played in the highest-level club circuit," Smart said. "You add that maturity and sense of winning to a group that's just craving that, and then combine that with the transfers. I think we're seeing a difference this year having older and more experienced players."
Though Wake Forest lost in straight sets, Smart was happy with the fight she saw against No. 15 Western Kentucky earlier this season in Nashville.
"I loved that we played Western Kentucky," Smart said. "They're fiery and good on every end of the ball, both offense and defense. I was proud of holding them to a pretty low hitting percentage. That second set, we were ahead, but were unable to finish them off. There's so many things we can take away from not just that, but every match we've played to this point."
While Wake Forest leads the ACC in aces this season with 84, that's not necessarily what the goal.
"We're trying to take care of our end of things with serving and first contact on serves, so we can set up our blocks and floor defense," Smart said. "We're serving it strategically, hoping to get teams out of system. We might lead the ACC in aces, but that isn't our goal. We just want to serve teams to where they're not in system, so that we don't have to block four attackers all the time.
"Our strength is in every aspect of our game. We're not going to have players with four kills per set. We don't have players we have to get the ball to all the time. We're going to be the team who relies on everyone to fill their roles and execute at a high level — whether that's serving, attacking or blocking. We're really dependent on each other this year."
There's nothing but conference foes ahead on the schedule for the Demon Deacons, who last had a winning ACC record in 2010.
"Buckle up," Smart said she told her team. "Take care of your bodies. Take care of your schoolwork. Get things done ahead of time. When we're in the gym, we need to be in the gym and focused on that. I love that we had Georgia Tech and Clemson right out of the gate. They are fast and physical teams.
"I'm so proud of what the ACC is doing in volleyball right now. The teams have had a great non-conference season. Iron sharpens iron. This is why you play sports. You want the challenge and for games to come down to the wire."
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Then there's the five-set tussle against Kansas in Nashville, where the Deacs eventually fell 26-24, 21-25, 25-23, 23-25, 11-15.
"I want that Kansas match back, if I can be honest, but I'm really proud of the team," second-year Wake Forest coach Randi Smart said. "They're figuring out how to win this season. You're older and wiser. Effort and communication are awesome, but that's the price of admission at this level. You have to execute as well, so we have to get these guys on the same track of executing when it matters and adapting to situations. You're going to face different situations all the time and we have to be ready."
They also had a five set-battle with ACC foe Clemson, with Clemson taking the first and third sets (25-16, 27-25) and the Deacs taking the second and fourth (25-21, 25-15) to force a fifth. Clemson won the fifth 15-13 to win the match.
"We've had a lot of matches where we could have lost a set. But the maturity and leadership of these kids has pushed them when we've got to 20-21 and 21-22, and we've come out on top. I'm proud of them for that."
The Demon Deacons have added veteran playmakers Kamryn Malloy from Indiana and Andrea Fuentes from Missouri via the NCAA Transfer Portal.
"It's been going super well, and a big turnaround from last year," Malloy said. "I have no doubt in my mind that this team can be super successful. We don't have just one star player. In all directions, we're bringing a lot of talent. That makes it a lot easier on us, knowing not one single player has to carry the load.
"We all can contribute and become an offensive team. Every single outlet is really tricky to defend. That's what we want to continue in ACC play, just every single player bringing their A-game and making it hard for the other team to figure out how to defend us."
Smart has seen her team come together better during the summer months, as they've been able to train and spend time together away from the volleyball court.
"Even with the junior class, they hadn't had an offseason with us to train," Smart said. "It's been learning from a firehose. We've brought some players in on the transfer side who have a lot of experience and a lot of big-time matches they've played in.
"They've invited teammates over to their house to watch movies or have dinner. I know the sophomores make sure the freshmen come over to hang out. Covid was hard. You want to build a team, but we had to keep everybody away from each other, which is the worst thing you can do for everybody. But it's just the way we had to live to have a season. They seem to be doing really well this year though. The energy in the gym is good, and that comes from being together away from volleyball and hanging out as well. It is easier to push each other when you have trust."
Freshman libero Kalani Whillock leads the Deacs so far this season with 190 digs.
"Our freshman libero has played in the highest-level club circuit," Smart said. "You add that maturity and sense of winning to a group that's just craving that, and then combine that with the transfers. I think we're seeing a difference this year having older and more experienced players."
Though Wake Forest lost in straight sets, Smart was happy with the fight she saw against No. 15 Western Kentucky earlier this season in Nashville.
"I loved that we played Western Kentucky," Smart said. "They're fiery and good on every end of the ball, both offense and defense. I was proud of holding them to a pretty low hitting percentage. That second set, we were ahead, but were unable to finish them off. There's so many things we can take away from not just that, but every match we've played to this point."
While Wake Forest leads the ACC in aces this season with 84, that's not necessarily what the goal.
"We're trying to take care of our end of things with serving and first contact on serves, so we can set up our blocks and floor defense," Smart said. "We're serving it strategically, hoping to get teams out of system. We might lead the ACC in aces, but that isn't our goal. We just want to serve teams to where they're not in system, so that we don't have to block four attackers all the time.
"Our strength is in every aspect of our game. We're not going to have players with four kills per set. We don't have players we have to get the ball to all the time. We're going to be the team who relies on everyone to fill their roles and execute at a high level — whether that's serving, attacking or blocking. We're really dependent on each other this year."
There's nothing but conference foes ahead on the schedule for the Demon Deacons, who last had a winning ACC record in 2010.
"Buckle up," Smart said she told her team. "Take care of your bodies. Take care of your schoolwork. Get things done ahead of time. When we're in the gym, we need to be in the gym and focused on that. I love that we had Georgia Tech and Clemson right out of the gate. They are fast and physical teams.
"I'm so proud of what the ACC is doing in volleyball right now. The teams have had a great non-conference season. Iron sharpens iron. This is why you play sports. You want the challenge and for games to come down to the wire."
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