Wake Forest University
17-13,8-10ACC
Coppin State
23-11,12-2MEAC
Deacs Hold On For Five-Set Victory in Exhilarating NIVC First-Round Matchup Against Coppin State
12/2/2022 10:09:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
Wake Forest individuals finished in double-figures in kills.
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – Spectators in Varsity Arena were able to witness an absolute thriller of postseason volleyball action on Friday evening (Dec. 2), as Wake Forest stayed the course to defeat Coppin State (23-11) in the first round of the 2022 National Invitational Volleyball Championship (NIVC). Trailing 2-1 in the match, the Demon Deacons (17-13) secured the final two sets for a 3-2 victory (25-23, 22-25, 22-25, 25-17, 21-19).
Wake Forest will advance on to play Davidson in the tournament's second round tomorrow (Dec. 3), held in Varsity Arena and scheduled for a 4 p.m. ET first serve.
Paige Crawford showed up and showed out in her collegiate postseason debut, tying her career high in kills (21) to lead all individuals. The 2022 Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) All-Freshman Team pick was one of four Deacs to finish in double-figures in kills – joining her was Peyton Suess (15), Olivia Franke (11), and Emmy Ogogor (11). The latter tied her career high.
Franke also stood out defensively, adding six blocks.
Fresh off her 2022 ACC Freshman of the Year nod, Emma Farrell proved her defensive prowess yet again, recording a team-high 23 digs. Megan Merril chipped in 10 digs, reaching double-digits for the sixth time this season.
Andrea Fuentes and Rian Baker tallied 31 and 22 assists, respectively, at the setter positions.
Wake Forest outperformed Coppin State in kills (63-61), assists (58-55), and digs (64-60).
How it Happened
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Kills by Paige Crawford and Emmy Ogogor started off the night for Wake Forest.
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A successful challenge by the Deacs soon resulted in a 4-2 lead.
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Coppin State landed a few hits before Olivia Franke rose from the middle, upping Wake Forest's advantage to 7-5.
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Scoring a few points on a 3-1 push, the Deacons went up 13-10.
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Andrea Fuentes served up an ace during the run.
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Four possessions were then traded through quick actions.
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By the first media timeout, Wake Forest remained ahead, 15-13.
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Another pair of hitting mistakes by the Eagles helped the Deacs keep in front, 18-16.
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After Ogogor notched her fourth kill on a lengthy rally, causing Coppin State to take a break on the floor.
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Wake Forest led 20-18 at the time of play.
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Both teams scored twice more, highlighted by a strong, right-sided Audrey Douglas hit.
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Another attack error by the Eagles allowed Wake Forest to reach set point, 24-21.
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Peyton Suess completed the deed for her Deacs in the opening set, nailing a kill to cap off a 25-23 decision.
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Ogogor paced the first set with four kills on a .375 attacking clip.
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Coppin State got off to a faster start in set two, leading 6-4.
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Franke and Ogogor each netted a kill early.
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Paige Crawford soon got hot from the outside, punching three consecutive kills to tie the board at 8-8.
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The Eagles responded by scoring eight points in a row, building a 16-8 lead.
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A service error from the visitors put an end to their own run.
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After taking time to regroup, Wake Forest got into a groove, mounting an 8-1 run to narrowly trail 20-19.
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Suess made a plethora of plays during the period to help her squad stay in it.
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The score briefly was tied at 21 all before Coppin State benefited off a Wake Forest serving error and next made a block, reaching set point (24-22).
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One Eagle kill put an end to set two, 25-22, with the visitors on top.
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Fuentes had 24 assists after two frames of action.
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Suess' eighth kill of the night evened the margin at 4-4 in the third set.
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It was the start of four, quick tied scores.
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A Coppin State ace headlined a 4-0 spree and grew the Eagles lead to 12-9.
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Both sides suffered a couple of errors, as Wake Forest continued to claw back from behind, 17-15.
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Megan Merril handed out an ace to cut the deficit to a single point (19-18).
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Franke took over in a sequence involving a right-sided kill and an immediate ace, putting Wake Forest in front, 21-20.
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After the Eagles scored twice to regain the lead, the Deacons called for timeout.
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Coppin State succeeded on two more possessions, reaching set point, 24-21.
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One more kill by the Eagles won them the third in another 25-22 fashion.
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The period featured the most combined tied scores (10) and lead changes (4) within the match.
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Boosted by nice serves from Annabelle Daly, Wake Forest took a 6-1 lead to open set four.
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Crawford, Franke, and Suess all followed with balanced swings, upping the Deacon advantage to 12-5.
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Coppin State subsequently took a break to talk things through.
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Stepping back onto the floor, the Eagles scored on six of their next eight tries.
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The momentum was stopped as a result of a bad serve.
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Helped by its hitters, Wake Forest found control again, utilizing a 4-1 run.
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Ogogor took off one foot to throw in a ball before a freshmen duo of Rian Baker and Paige Crawford connected to put Wake Forest at set point.
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Ogogor put the finishing touches on a tip kill, giving Wake Forest an exceptional 25-17 victory in set four.
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Crawford was especially efficient in the fourth period, going 6-of-9 on attacks while suffering only two errors (.444 attacking percentage).
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Additionally, fellow freshman Rian Baker dished out 11 assists.
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Back-to-back kills by Franke opened the scoring in the fifth set.
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The junior soon threw another punch, giving Wake Forest a 6-3 gain.
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After scoring three times, Coppin State found itself down by one (7-6).
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Ogogor swung hard on the next possession, leading to the midway point of set five, as the two teams switched benches.
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Wake Forest led 8-6.
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Behind Suess' lethal hits and seeing Coppin State add in a few more errors, Wake Forest reached match point, 14-11.
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Nevertheless, the Eagles refused to go away quietly, working to tie things up again and forcing extra points.
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Seesaw play took place through the next 12 combined possessions, resulting in the score being evened on five different occasions.
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Stepping up to the challenge, Suess had a clutch moment in delivering a kill that put Wake Forest up 20-19.
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The senior's play was followed by one final hitting error by Coppin State, sent too long outside of the box, that officially gave the Deacs the win.
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Wake Forest defeated Coppin State, 3-2.
Standout Stats
Four Demon Deacons finished in double-figures in kills during the first-round win:
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Paige Crawford – 21 kills
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Peyton Suess – 15 kills
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Olivia Franke – 11 kills
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Emmy Ogogor – 11 kills
Crawford and Ogogor each tied their career highs in kills.
From the Head Honcho
"What a match," said head coach Randi Smart. "I give a lot of credit to Coppin State – they played incredibly well and hard all night long. I'm proud of our group for sticking through the fight and finishing. It's something we have talked about this season, and tonight was a big example. It was overall just a very exciting volleyball match, the kind you expect to see in the postseason. Now, we have to quickly get focused for tomorrow!"
Up Next
Wake Forest will make a short turnaround in returning to its home floor to face the Davidson Wildcats (21-10) tomorrow afternoon (Dec. 3) at 4 p.m. ET. The matchup will be the second of the season between the two in-state opponents, as the Deacs won in a 3-0 sweep back on Sept. 16.
