Wake Forest University
11-5,3-2ACC
North Carolina
9-7,1-4ACC
Wake Forest Defeats Tar Heels for Big Four Victory in Front of Record-Breaking Home Crowd
10/7/2022 11:37:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
Friday night was a memorable season outing for Demon Deacon volleyball.
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – In an evening headlined by its annual 'Dig Pink' match, Wake Forest volleyball (11-5, 3-2) drew an electric, standing-room-only crowd to Reynolds Gymnasium for the Demon Deacons' first Big Four test of the season – a Friday night (Oct. 7) matchup against North Carolina (9-7, 1-4). After the match sat tied at 1-1 through two sets, Wake Forest took care of business through the next two frames en route to a 3-1 victory over the Tar Heels (25-18, 20-25, 25-22, 25-22).
The win was Wake Forest's first over North Carolina since Nov. 27, 2019.
An attendance of 714 spectators set a new record for the most in a single match inside of Reynolds Gymnasium.
Making her first career start for the Black and Old Gold, Lauren Strain brought a forceful presence to the floor. The junior team captain went for a career-high 12 kills and five blocks while recording a .391 attacking percentage.
Ashley Slater finished with a likewise effective performance in comparison to Strain's, ending with 12 kills, tying a season-best, and adding four blocks.
Olivia Franke anchored the Deacon defense as a net protector, going for nine total blocks, seven of which were assisted. That mark now stands as her best of the 2022 fall campaign.
Andrea Fuentes produced a line of 31 assists, six digs, and three service aces. Prior to the match's first serve, the graduate student was honored as a recipient of the 2022 Wake Forest Volleyball Heather Holmes Tenacity Award, named in memory of the program's all-time winningest head coach.
Paige Crawford tallied her third double-double of the season (11 kills and 14 digs).
The ample amount of fans were able to witness another impressive defensive showing by first-year libero Emma Farrell, who led all individuals with 18 digs. Kalani Whillock added 12 digs.
Wake Forest outperformed North Carolina in all major statistical categories of points (76.0-71.0), kills (53-48), blocks (16-11), assists (49-40), and digs (64-56).
How it Happened
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Olivia Franke opened the night with a solo block.
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Lauren Strain delivered a swinging hammer from the right-side to give Wake Forest a 3-0 start in the first frame.
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The Deacon hitters continued to take turns, as the lead went to 8-5.
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North Carolina found some success in a 5-2 spurt, cutting the deficit to 9-8.
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Nevertheless, Wake Forest controlled its protection of the net, adding a few blocks to go up 13-10.
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Strain added a third kill immediately afterward.
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The evening's first timeout was then called.
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Wake Forest led 15-10 at the time.
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A slate of nine total possessions were then traded between the two sides, as the Deacs kept their defensive presence alive and Ashley Slater gave a spark in her hitting game.
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Andrea Fuentes handed out a pair of service aces during the span.
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North Carolina landed a few successful attacks while also seeing errors on three attempts.
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Another timeout break saw Wake Forest still in the lead, 20-16.
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The Deacs rang off three unanswered points immediately upon stepping on the floor.
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North Carolina responded with a kill and ace in back-to-back plays.
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Nevertheless, Franke and Paige Crawford slammed home a kill apiece to put a cap on the opening set.
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Wake Forest took set one, 25-18.
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Slater completed four of her first five total attacks during the period.
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Fuentes tallied 10 assists.
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Wake Forest hit 72% from the floor.
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An ace by Franke tied the board at 3-3 early in the second set.
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Four consecutive points and a successful challenge by the Tar Heels soon put the team in front, 8-4.
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On her next look, Slater threw a kill straight to the ground.
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Crawford stepped up and took charge right away, as Wake Forest worked to hang close.
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However, North Carolina rattled off a 4-1 boost, upping its advantage to 13-9.
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After Wake Forest netted points twice, the Tar Heels jumped on another short run, pushing ahead 17-11 as another timeout took place.
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Back-to-back punches by Peyton Suess helped her Deacs trail not far behind, 18-14.
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North Carolina was able to seize a bit of momentum by capitalizing on a few Wake Forest errors.
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Strain mainly gave the Deacs life, punching in kills from the right side.
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Sitting at match point for three possessions, North Carolina won the set on a final kill down the middle line.
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The Tar Heels bounced back with a set-two win, 25-20.
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Fuentes laced another ace to open the third set.
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Franke and Strain made a handful of aggressive plays, giving Wake Forest a 6-2 edge.
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North Carolina created its own comeback, registering a 4-0 clip to take a narrow lead, 9-8.
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Kalani Whillock had an answer in the form of an ace, tying the margin.
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The play would ultimately be the first of seven straight points by the Deacons.
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North Carolina scored twice to put a stop to the run.
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Crawford once again ignited her own spree, giving the Deacs quite a few points through kills and blocks.
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After North Carolina pieced a 4-1 surge, Wake Forest took a timeout, still ahead, 23-19.
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The Tar Heels scored again, but a Slater kill put her squad at match point.
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A service error by the visitors gave Wake Forest the set win, 25-22.
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Crawford had four kills and five digs during the frame.
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Four different Deacs knotted a kill apiece to give Wake Forest a balanced start to set four, 7-2.
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Crawford then handed over an ace, followed by kills from Slater and Emmy Ogogor.
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An attack error by North Carolina allowed the Deacons to stretch their advantage to 11-4.
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The Tar Heels woke up a bit after netting three of its next four tries on kills.
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Nonetheless, spikes by Strain and Peyton Suess created some issues for the North Carolina defense.
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North Carolina refused to die down in its fight, placing three straight points, two of which happened on aces to stay behind, 18-15.
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Another pair of aces by the Tar Heels added two more to the column.
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The team suffered an error in its next serve before Slater angled herself for a neat kill.
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Things stayed close, with North Carolina trailing 23-22 after securing an assisted block.
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Two final errors, one on a set and another on an attack, would ultimately be the downfall for the Tar Heels as the set and match came to a close.
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Wake Forest won set four, 25-22, defeating North Carolina in a 3-1 decision.
Standout Stats
In her first career start at Wake Forest, Lauren Strain ended with a career-high 12 kills and five blocks while recording a .391 attacking percentage.
Defensively, Olivia Franke was stellar, going for nine total blocks, seven of which were assisted. That mark now stands as her best of the 2022 fall campaign.
Paige Crawford grabbed her third double-double of the season – 11 kills and 14 digs.
From the Head Honcho
"What an amazing gym and atmosphere created by our fans," said head coach Randi Smart. "We are so grateful for everyone's support. Let's keep it going and break attendance records every week!
"Our goals are to out-block and out-dig teams. We know that we want to win with gritty blocking and showed that tonight with our defense. I'm very proud of our girls for buying into our culture and competing. Tonight was a great team win, one that has been developing since August."
Up Next
NC State comes to Winston-Salem for a Sunday evening showdown against Wake Forest next (Oct. 9). The match will air on the ACC Network at 6 p.m. ET.
