Wake Forest University
16-13,8-10ACC
Clemson
13-17,4-14ACC
Deacs Cap Off Regular Season With Senior Day Victory Over Tigers
11/25/2022 7:08:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
Peyton Suess and Andrea Fuentes showed out on their special day!
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – Returning to Reynolds Gymnasium for a final regular-season test on Black Friday (Nov. 25), Wake Forest volleyball (16-13, 8-10) battled to finish victoriously in a come-from-behind match win over visiting Clemson (13-17, 4-14). The Demon Deacons dropped the opening set before winning three consecutive frames (22-25, 25-14, 25-21, 28-26).
Friday featured 'Senior Day' for the Deacs, as Peyton Suess, Andrea Fuentes, and Pilar Agudelo were all honored in a post-match ceremony for their contributions to the program.
Suess enjoyed herself a standout afternoon, registering 15 kills while hitting over 32 percent at the net. Olivia Franke and Paige Crawford also tallied double-figures in kills, with 11 and 10 respectively. The latter added eight digs.
Fuentes was another bright spot during her day of celebration, recording 47 assists and 10 digs. The setter has now recorded a double-double in each of her last four matches.
Emma Farrell paced the defensive end with a team-best 15 digs. Annabelle Daly added eight of her own, tying her season high.
Audrey Douglas was efficient in her attacks, going 9-of-16 with zero errors (.562). Emmy Ogogor posted eight kills and four blocks.
The victory marked a season sweep for the Deacs over Clemson this fall.
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How it Happened
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Peyton Suess was the first Deacon to land a kill, and Audrey Douglas followed from the right side to even the score at 3-3 in set one.
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A sneaky service ace and a pair of kills by Clemson gave the Tigers a 7-4 lead.
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The Tigers struggled with a few service errors, however.
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Ensuing plays by Wake Forest involved an Olivia Franke ace and successful swing by Paige Crawford shortly after she checked onto the floor.
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Protection at the net allowed the visitors to go ahead 12-8.
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Another point by Clemson led into the day's first media timeout.
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The Deacs scored on three of their next four tries fresh out of the break.
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Boosted by service errors from the Tigers, Wake Forest continued to climb, 15-13, after Franke and Suess connected on a block.
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Franke posted a kill through the middle, and her Deacs worked through a few more Tiger errors to tie the board at 18 all.
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A few possessions went back and forth, before Clemson went on a 4-1 run.
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Suess and Douglas gave Wake Forest a kill apiece.
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An attack error by the Deacons put a finish to set one in the Tigers' favor, 25-22.
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Douglas went 3-of-5 on attacks during the first set.
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Suess opened set two with back-to-back kills.
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Wake Forest jumped into a rhythm early, taking a 9-5 lead before a timeout was issued.
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The Tigers then scored three times within a span of six total possessions between the two sides.
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Ogogor produced on a handful of plays, helping the Deacs up their advantage to 17-9.
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Clemson again tried to make something happen, leaping on a 4-1 push.
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Franke kept swinging hard, and a kill by Andrea Fuentes smoothly put an end to a final Wake Forest 3-0 clip, securing a bounce-back set victory.
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The Deacs took set two in a controlled fashion, 25-14.
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Suess and Ogogor were lethal in their hits, going 6-for-8 and 4-for-5 (one error), respectively.
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After scoring the first four points, Clemson stretched its advantage to 6-2 in set three.
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Nonetheless, a pair of errors on serves cut the team's own momentum.
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Two other short runs by the Tigers, 3-0 and 3-1, bumped their lead to 12-6.
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However, Wake Forest caught immediate fire, plugging in a remarkable 10-1 run and jumping in front, 16-13.
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Three consecutive points by the Deacs, highlighted by a Fuentes ace, saw the team up 21-18.
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Suess absolutely took over in the third period's final moments, delivering back-to-back kills to win the set for Wake Forest, 25-21.
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Crawford made a few noteworthy defensive plays, leading the Deacons in the set with four digs.
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Clemson was able to notch a successful challenge early in set two before the score became tied through the next several minutes.
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Ogogor hung in the air for a timely slam to even the margin at 8-8.
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Even play was maintained across the floor, with Franke heavily contributing for the Deacons.
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By the set's media timeout, Clemson narrowly led, 15-14.
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The Tigers suffered a service error right afterward, however.
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Crawford and Franke netted another quick hit apiece, as the score again sat tied, 18-18.
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After Clemson next committed an attacking error, the team regrouped.
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At the time, a total of 15 tied scores made up the back-and-forth affair.
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The Tigers knotted two more kills, and Franke answered in the middle to again give Wake Forest the slight edge, 21-20.
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Crawford created another tie, 23-23, with outside spike.
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Clemson forced extra points, taking a 25-24 lead shortly before Douglas clocked a right-side kill.
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The junior mirrored the same such play on her next attempt.
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Suess would make one of the clutch sequences of the contest, nailing a kill before ringing in an ace to put Wake Forest up 27-26.
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Franke then swung one final time from her spot in the middle of the court, officially securing the match and set (28-26).
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Wake Forest defeated Clemson, 3-1.
Standout Stats
Peyton Suess and Andrea Fuentes anchored the Deacs' tempo on Friday during their Senior Day showings. Suess registered 15 kills while hitting over 32 percent at the net. Fuentes recorded 47 assists and 10 digs. The setter has now recorded a double-double in each of her last four matches:
Andrea Fuentes Streak of Double-Doubles:
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Versus Virginia Tech (11/13/22) – 37 assists & 13 digs
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At Duke (11/16/22) – 49 assists & 16 digs
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At Virginia (11/20/22) – 31 assists & 12 digs
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Versus Clemson (11/25/22) – 47 assists & 10 digs
Thank You, Seniors!
In the aftermath of Friday's win, three individuals were honored in the Deacs' Senior Day ceremony – outside hitter Peyton Suess, setter Andrea Fuentes, and student manager Pilar Agudelo.
The lone four-year member of Demon Deacon Volleyball this season, Suess has appeared in 97 matches throughout her career, while making 68 starts. She has reached new career highs of 21 kills on two separate occasions in 2022, happening in contests versus Kennesaw State and Duke. In three of her four seasons, Suess has been a top-three player on the team in kills and stands second this year. As a freshman in 2019, she led the Deacs with 327 kills and finished second in digs (245), earning an ACC Freshman of the Week nod and a spot on the ACC All-Academic Team. For her collegiate career, Suess has recorded over 800 kills, 550 digs, and 145 blocks.
Arriving in Winston-Salem in 2021, Fuentes has been a standout setter for the last two seasons, leading the team in assists both years. Last month, on Oct. 28 in a home match versus Pittsburgh, she reached over 4,500 assists in her collegiate career. Two weeks later, during Wake Forest's home victory over Virginia Tech on Nov. 13, Fuentes passed the 1,500th mark in assists for her Deacon tenure. In her first season with the Black and Old Gold, she paced the team with 1,045 assists while averaging over 10 assists per set, a mark that stood fourth-best in the conference. Additionally, Fuentes led Wake Forest in service aces last season and has been a top-three individual in digs each campaign. For her career, she has totaled over 4,600 assists, 900 digs, 130 blocks, and 110 aces.
Having joined the volleyball program in Spring 2020 as a student manager, Agudelo has spent the last three seasons assisting in a variety of duties for the Deacs and has traveled with the team on several road trips for matches. Along with her role among the volleyball team, Agudelo has prioritized her time as the student body president and a resident assistant.
Season Highlights
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Wake Forest's 16 regular-season wins this fall was its most in a single season since 2014.
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Additionally, the Deacs grabbed nine victories on their home floor, also the most since the 2014 campaign.
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Wake Forest won three of its last four regular-season contests.
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The Deacs' .552 winning percentage in 2022 is its best since the 2010 season, when the program recorded a .613 winning percentage mark.
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Since week two of the 2022 fall season, Wake Forest has ranked within the ACC's top-three among all member institutions in digs-per-set, as a team.
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For 11 weeks during the regular season, freshman libero Emma Farrell stood as the ACC digs-per-set individual leader. She currently holds a 4.44 average that ranks second in the conference.
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The Deacons are the only team to have a freshman ranked in the ACC's top-10 individual leaders in digs.
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Wake Forest earned four ACC weekly honors this season – the highest mark in the head coach Randi Smart era:
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Emma Farrell – ACC Co-Freshman of the Week (Sept. 19, 2022)
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Paige Crawford – ACC Freshman of the Week (Oct. 10, 2022)
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Paige Crawford – ACC Co-Freshman of the Week (Oct. 17, 2022)
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Emma Farrell – ACC Co-Freshman of the Week (Nov. 15, 2022)
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This season is the first time since 2016 that Wake Forest has had two or more individuals receive ACC Freshman of the Week honors. Additionally, it was a first-ever accomplishment in program history for the team in having multiple freshmen notch weekly ACC honors on multiple occasions.
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Graduate student setter Andrea Fuentes reached over 4,500 career assists in a home match versus Pittsburgh on Oct. 28. Two weeks later, during the Deacs' home victory over Virginia Tech (Nov. 13), she passed the 1,500 mark in assists for her Wake Forest tenure.
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Garnering 3-1 wins over North Carolina (Oct. 7) and NC State (Oct. 9) at home secured the first weekend sweep over conference competition for Wake Forest since Oct. 2018.
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The stellar weekend also featured a record-breaking mark of attendance during the North Carolina win, as 714 spectators filled up Reynolds Gymnasium – the most-ever individuals present for a single match.
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Back on October 10, in the NCAA's Rating Percentage Index (RPI) rankings, Wake Forest moved up to No. 57 on the list. Over the last two decades, the Deacs have finished within the RPI top-75 by season's end on three separate occasions:
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Wake Forest Volleyball Highest RPI Finishes Since 2000:
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2000 – 69
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2008 – 73
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2010 – 70
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The RPI mark on the Oct. 10th date was Wake Forest's highest ranking in over 20 years.
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Wake Forest went 2-1 in Texas State's 2022 Bobcat Invitational, as Emma Farrell and Ashley Slater landed spots on the All-Tournament Team.
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The Deacons tallied an 8-3 record against non-conference foes through the first half of their fall campaign. Up to date, in the Randi Smart era, the Deacs have pieced a 27-6 overall clip against such opponents.
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Out of the team's five major statistical categories, three Wake Forest newcomers stand as team leaders:
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Kills – Paige Crawford (302)
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Digs – Emma Farrell (463)
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Assists – Andrea Fuentes (585)
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Blocks – Emmy Ogogor (104.0)
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Service Aces – Andrea Fuentes (29)
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From the Head Honcho
"I am very proud of our seniors tonight," said head coach Randi Smart. "Peyton and Andrea really set the pace for the match and led us. They have both been instrumental in the growth of the program and I love that they finished ACC play this way."
Up Next
Wake Forest will next wait to learn its postseason destiny, with selections soon to be determined and announced from various tournament committees.
