Wake Forest University
12-7,4-4ACC
Louisville
17-1,8-0ACC
Deacs Fall in Four to No. 2 Cardinals During Sunday Road Contest
10/16/2022 3:45:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
Olivia Franke reached a personal milestone in Louisville.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Playing in front of a sold-out audience and facing its highest ranked opponent of the fall, Wake Forest volleyball (12-7, 4-4) took on the challenge headstrong against No. 2 Louisville (17-1, 8-0) on Sunday afternoon (Oct. 16). With their backs against the wall, the Demon Deacons impressively captured a third-set win before ultimately falling in four frames (16-25, 15-25, 28-26, 20-25).
Olivia Franke continued to have a standout weekend, reaching a new personal milestone in the process. In set three, the junior middle blocker made a rejection at the net for the 200th block of her collegiate career. Franke finished the day with 10 kills (.667 attacking percentage) and five blocks.
Paige Crawford led Wake Forest with 16 kills, adding seven digs. Peyton Suess chipped in 10 kills.
Defensively, Emma Farrell became a bright spot as the match progressed, recording a team-best 20 digs. It was the first-year's seventh season performance of 20 or more digs and her highest total versus an Atlantic Coast Conference opponent.
Rian Baker totaled 27 assists and six digs. Andrea Fuentes handed out 16 assists.
Wake Forest tied with Louisville in total blocks (10).
How it Happened
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Louisville started the match with a pair of service errors.
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Emmy Ogogor was the first Deac to swat a kill.
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Key defensive moments by Wake Forest put the team in front to start the first set, 5-3.
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Louisville continued to struggle with a few long hits that resulted in errors.
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A kill down the middle by Olivia Franke upped the Deacon lead to 9-6.
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However, the Cardinals seized momentum through its hitting attack and net protection, building a 6-0 run to take the lead, 12-10.
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Ogogor stopped the run with another slam from her middle spot on the floor.
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Peyton Suess knotted two kills in a row to keep Wake Forest close by, down 15-13.
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Franke followed with two consecutive ones of her own.
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Louisville succeeded on three aces and four kills to mount a 7-0 push and reach set point.
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A final swing from the right side gave the home team a 25-16 set-one victory.
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Franke went 3-of-3 on attacks in the opening frame.
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Ogogor and Paige Crawford landed kills to open the scoring in set two for Wake Forest.
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Louisville jumped in front, 9-3, with a flurry of attacks.
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Crawford, Audrey Douglas, and Ashley Slater then all helped the Deacs place a few more points.
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A block by the Cardinals grew their lead to 15-6 before Wake Forest took a timeout.
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Out of the break, Rian Baker set up Ogogor nicely for the senior's fourth kill of the match.
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Leading 15-7, Louisville racked up seven straight points.
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Suess cut the run on a hit, and Crawford netted three kills in a two-minute span.
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Seeing Louisville reach set point, Wake Forest gave the Cardinals some issues on defending three straight rallies.
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Nevertheless, Louisville took set two on a bouncing kill, 25-15.
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Crawford and Slater quickly went to work on the left side for Wake Forest, sending in kills, as the third set began evenly played.
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The Cardinals created a small lead gap to hang on to during the next few possessions, eventually leading 12-8.
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Franke kept her presence alive in the middle, throwing a pair of hits.
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After making a rejection on a solo block, Louisville punched in a point to up its advantage to 17-13 in set three.
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Wake Forest refused to go away quietly, creeping back into the set and led by its hitters.
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A long rally that was capped off by a Franke block trimmed the deficit to 22-20.
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Soon afterward, Louisville committed an attacking error and the score was tied up at 23-23.
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The Cardinals reached match point on an outside kill, but Crawford forced extra points.
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Trading possessions, the set remained up for grabs, even at 26 all.
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Douglas put her Deacs up by one firstly, and an attack error by Louisville sealed a come-from-behind victory in the third period.
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Wake Forest won set three, 28-26.
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A total of six tied scores, the most of the afternoon, made up the frame.
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The intensity persisted in set four, with several back-and-forth plays.
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Emma Farrell stood out in her defensive skills, reaching 16 digs early in the period.
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The freshman connected with Slater for a strong hit to have Wake Forest trailing 6-5.
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The Cardinals took over next, scoring four straight times.
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Nonetheless, Wake Forest responded with a 4-0 surge of its own, forcing a timeout from the other side.
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Louisville led 11-10 at the time.
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A service ace by the Cardinals broke the team out of traded points and gave them some breathing room, ahead 17-12.
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A Crawford kill put the ball back in the Deacons' possession fresh out of a timeout.
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Wake Forest earned a few successful tries, still trailing, 20-16.
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The next total eight possessions continued in the same traded fashion, with Louisville reaching match point on a kill.
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One more kill, this time from the middle, gave the Cardinals the set win, 25-20, while clinching the afternoon victory.
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Wake Forest fell, 3-1.
Standout Stats
Olivia Franke reached a new personal milestone in set three of the match, making a rejection at the net for the 200th block of her collegiate career. Franke finished the day with 10 kills (.667 attacking percentage) and five blocks.
Emma Farrell collected 20 digs for her highest total against a conference foe. The freshman libero has ended with 20 or migs on seven separate occasions this season:
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Versus Western Carolina – 27 digs
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Versus Arizona – 28 digs
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Versus South Carolina – 21 digs
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Versus Sam Houston – 20 digs
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Versus Davidson – 22 digs
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Versus Charlotte – 21 digs
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Versus Louisville – 20 digs
From the Head Honcho
"We played well at times and saw moments of high-level volleyball on our side of the net, which is what we need to be doing in this conference," said head coach Randi Smart. "Now, we need to execute at that level more consistently. We need to take some ownership, learn from the weekend, objectively look at where we need to improve and get back in the gym because we have a great weekend ahead! That's the beauty of athletics -- we get to learn and fight back."
Up Next
Wake Forest stays on the road next week, traveling to Miami (Oct. 21) and Florida State (Oct. 23).
