Wake Forest Athletics
Volleyball to Host First and Second Rounds of 2022 NIVC Tournament
11/27/2022 9:19:00β―PM | Women's Volleyball
Postseason action is coming to Varsity Arena!
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. β For the first time in program history, Wake Forest volleyball will participate in the National Invitational Volleyball Championship (NIVC) postseason tournament, hosting the first two rounds of play in Reynolds Gymnasium.
The Demon Deacons will face the Coppin State Eagles in round one of tournament play on Friday (Dec. 2) at 6 p.m. ET. Additionally, the team will host a neutral match between Davidson and North Dakota State earlier during that same Friday afternoon at 3 p.m. ET. The winners of each first round match will face each other on Saturday (Dec. 3) at 4 p.m. ET.
We are officially ππππππππππ πππππ π¨
β Wake Volleyball (@WakeVolleyball) November 28, 2022
First time in the @CoachSmart_ eraβοΈ
Stay tuned for more details.#GoDeacs π©π pic.twitter.com/J1vGFAZxIO
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This is Wake Forest's first postseason appearance in the head coach Randi Smart era. The Deacs competed in the North Carolina Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (NCAIAW) State Tournament for four straight postseasons from 1978-81. Additionally, Wake Forest made Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) tournament appearances in 1980-81, 1983, and 1985-86 before the tournament ceased in 2004.
The NIVC is an annual tournament involving 32 to 40 of the nation's top women's Division I volleyball teams. All matches, including the semifinals and championship, are hosted by participating schools. Every round involves single elimination. The event offers 32 automatic berths, one to each established conference.
Most recently, Wake Forest wrapped its 2022 regular season on Nov. 25, defeating Clemson in four sets for a Senior Day victory. The Deacs went 16-13 overall during the regular season, including an 8-10 mark in conference play.
2022 NIVC Tournament
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Dec. 2-3 β Rounds 1 & 2 (hosted at Wake Forest)
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Davidson (20-10) vs. North Dakota State (21-11) - 3 p.m. ET
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Coppin State (23-10) vs. Wake Forest (16-13) - 6 p.m. ET
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Dec. 3 β Winners will play at 4 p.m. ET
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Round 3 (TBD)
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Dec. 6, 7, or 8
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Semifinals (TBD)
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Dec. 8, 9, 10, or 11
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Championship (TBD)
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Dec. 12 or 13
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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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Wake Forest grabbed eight Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) wins this year, its most since 2010, when the Deacons went 11-9 against conference foes.
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Since week two of the 2022 fall season, Wake Forest has ranked within the ACC's top-five among all member institutions in digs-per-set, as a team.
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As of November 27, Wake Forest is fourth in the conference with a 14.02 digs-per-set average.
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Wake Forest also most recently moved into the ACC's top-five in team hitting percentage (.225).
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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 4.41 average that leads 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 β the highest mark in the head coach Randi Smart era:
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Emma Farrell β ACC Co-Freshman of the Week (Sept. 19, 2022)
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Paige Crawford β ACC Freshman of the Week (Oct. 10, 2022)
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Paige Crawford β ACC Co-Freshman of the Week (Oct. 17, 2022)
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Emma Farrell β 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 Varsity Arena β 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 β 69
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2008 β 73
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2010 β 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 β Paige Crawford (302)
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Digs β Emma Farrell (463)
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Assists β Andrea Fuentes (585)
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Blocks β Emmy Ogogor (104.0)
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Service Aces β Andrea Fuentes (29)Β
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Scouting the Opposition
Coppin State enters the NIVC with a 23-10 overall clip, most recently coming off a championship appearance in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Tournament. The Eagles fell short against Delaware State, 3-1, last Sunday (Nov. 20). The team finished its regular-season slate strongly, winning eight of its final nine contests.
Coppin State racked up several postseason All-MEAC honors, as head coach Tim Walsh was named Coach of the Year. Ashley Roman was named the league's Defensive Player of the Year for the second time in her collegiate career, while Andrea Tsvetanova shared Setter of the Year with Howard University's Kayla Diaz. Roman, Tsvetanova, Miajavon Coleman, and Ammaarah Williams all landed on the All-MEAC First Team. Freshman libero Kennedy Beatty earned a spot on the conference's All-Rookie Team.
Walsh led Coppin State to the first 20-win season in program history and a share of the MEAC regular-season title with Howard after the Eagles went 12-2 in league play.
About the NIVC
The NIVC is committed to offering deserved opportunities to women's volleyball programs, and the postseason NIVC featured a full 32-team bracket in 2019 and 2021. The tournament was not held in 2020 due to COVID-19.
The NIVC offers teams an opportunity to get more practices in, to experience playoff-atmosphere games, to play in front of passionate fans, and to use their NIVC success as a springboard to the next season.
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