Wake Forest University
Coppin State
Deacs to Face Eagles on Friday in 2022 NIVC First Round
11/30/2022 2:38:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
It’s postseason time!
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – A first-time opportunity arrives for Wake Forest volleyball this weekend, as the Demon Deacons (16-13) are set to compete in the 2022 National Invitational Volleyball Championship (NIVC) postseason tournament. The team will host the first two rounds of play (Dec. 2-3) in Reynolds Gymnasium.
This is Wake Forest's first postseason appearance in the head coach Randi Smart era.
A matchup versus Coppin State makes up the Deacs' opener on Friday evening (Dec. 2) at 6 p.m. ET. The winner will go on to face either Davidson or North Dakota State in the second round on Saturday afternoon (Dec. 3).
Admission is free for all NIVC first and second-round matches.
Each contest throughout the tournament will be streamed on ESPN+.
2022 NIVC First and Second Rounds
Friday, Dec. 2 – Davidson (20-10) vs. North Dakota State (21-11) – 3 p.m. ET
Friday, Dec. 2 – Wake Forest (16-13) vs. Coppin State (23-10) – 6 p.m. ET
Saturday, Dec. 3 – First-round winners will face each other at 4 p.m. ET
Last Time Out
Returning to Reynolds Gymnasium for a final regular-season test on Black Friday (Nov. 25), Wake Forest battled to finish victoriously in a come-from-behind match win over visiting Clemson. The 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.
How About Those Freshmen?
Wake Forest volleyball received exciting news on Monday afternoon (Nov. 28), as two of its underclassmen earned all-conference honors from the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC), announced by the league office.
Freshman libero Emma Farrell was named the 2022 ACC Freshman of the Year. She is the first Demon Deacon to notch such recognition since Christy Williams in 2002, along with being only the second, all-time Wake Forest player.
Farrell and outside hitter Paige Crawford also were tabbed on the conference's 2022 All-Freshman Team, becoming the first Wake Forest pair to secure All-Freshman selections since Caroline Rassenfoss and Caitlyn Della in 2016.
A two-time ACC Freshman of the Week pick this year, Farrell made a name for herself in the early stages of the 2022 campaign, becoming the conference's digs-per-set leader in week two and maintaining that mark for 11 weeks and through the conclusion of regular-season play. Her 4.41 average paced all individuals and she was the only true freshman to place in the ACC's top-10 list within the statistical category. Farrell was one of three Deacs to start and compete in all 29 of the team's matches. Back on Sept. 16, she finished with 22 digs in a sweep over Davidson, which is tied for the third-best total by a Wake Forest individual in a three-set match. The Norcross, Georgia native recorded 20 or more digs on nine separate occasions.
Crawford picked up two ACC Freshman of the Week nods of her own during the regular season, doing so in back-to-back weekly fashion on Oct. 10 and Oct. 17. The controlled outside hitter added reliable firepower to the team's attacking tempo, en route to ending as the team leader in total kills (302) for the fall regular season. In a road match against Big Four foe Duke University earlier this month (Nov. 16), the Wimberley, Texas native notched a new career high of 21 kills. Playing at No. 2 Louisville last month (Oct. 16), she led the way with an efficient 16 kills (.324 attacking percentage). In addition to her reliable hitting, Crawford also pieced several impressive two-way performances with her defensive skills, racking up five double-doubles. This season has seen a total of 14 matches in which she has paced the team in kills.
Series History
Versus Coppin State
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Series: Wake Forest leads, 1-0
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Last Time: Sept. 12, 2003
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Result: W, 3-0
Versus Davidson
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Series: Wake Forest leads, 9-2
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Last Time: Sept. 16, 2022
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Result: W, 3-0
Versus North Dakota State
A meeting in the NIVC second round would be the first-ever matchup between the Deacs and the Bison.
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 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.
Coppin State Volleyball Team Leaders:
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Kills – Miajavon Coleman (346)
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Assists – Andrea Tsvetanova (1,149)
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Digs – Ashley Roman (594)
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Service Aces – Andrea Tsvetanova (109)
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Blocks – Yaniris Miller-Green (81.0)
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.
Davidson is making its first-ever NIVC appearance while competing in the postseason for the first time in 22 years. The Wildcats won a historic 20 games during the regular season, finishing 20-9 overall and 14-4 in A-10 play. Bella Brady and Emma Slusser recently earned major awards from the Atlantic 10 conference in being named the Libero of the Year and Rookie of the Year, respectively. Wildcats head coach Chris Willis shared Co-Coach of the Year honors with Amanda Berkley of Loyola Chicago. Brady and Anela Davis landed on the All-A10 First Team, while Slusser, Jackie Bardin and Kayla Davis all placed on the All-A10 Rookie Team.
Davidson Volleyball Team Leaders:
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Kills – Isabel Decker (276)
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Assists – Xuan Nguyen (548)
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Digs – Bella Brady (544)
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Service Aces – Bella Brady (33)
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Blocks – Anela Davis (149.0)
North Dakota State finished the 2022 regular season in reaching the 20-win mark for only the fifth time in the Division I era with a 21-11 (13-5 Summit) overall record. After sweeping North Dakota in the Summit League quarterfinal round, NDSU advanced to the semifinals for the first time since 2018 before falling short against Omaha, 3-1. Kelley Johnson secured the 2022 Summit League Setter of the Year nod, sitting atop the league in total assists (810) and being second in assists per set (11.10). Along with Johnson, three of the Bison's other players were tabbed All-Summit League First Team selections – middle blocker Michelle Artis, outside hitter Ali Hinze, and outside hitter Syra Tanchin. Middle blocker Ally Barth made her way onto the league's All-Freshman Team.
North Dakota State Volleyball Team Leaders:
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Kills – Syra Tanchin (432)
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Assists – Kelley Johnson (1,294)
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Digs – Logan O'Brien (409)
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Service Aces – Ali Hinze (32)
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Blocks – Michelle Artis (119.0)
About the NIVC
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.
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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