Wake Forest University
1-1,0-0ACC
Western Carolina
1-1,0-0SoCon
Deacs Split in Final Day of Hosted Invitational
8/27/2022 10:32:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
Saturday featured a career night for senior Peyton Suess.
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – Rounding out its hosted invitational in the first weekend of season competition, Wake Forest volleyball (2-1, 0-0) split in a pair of matches on Saturday (Aug. 26) against Western Carolina (2-1, 0-0) and Kennesaw State (2-1, 0-0).
After dropping a five-set battle versus the Catamounts, the Demon Deacons bounced back in the closer, downing Kennesaw State in four sets. Senior Peyton Suess went for a career night during the outing, finishing with 21 kills for a new personal mark.
Freshmen Olivia Murphy and Rian Baker, along with junior newcomer Audrey Douglas, all made their first career starts with the Black and Old Gold on Saturday.
Match 1 - Western Carolina 3, Wake Forest 2
In what was arguably the weekend's most competitive match, Wake Forest went the length of five sets against the Catamounts of Western Carolina but fell short in the final frame (25-20, 22-25, 25-23, 22-25, 9-15).
Andrea Fuentes recorded 50 assists, marking the fifth time she has achieved such a feat in her Demon Deacon career. The graduate student also plugged in 18 digs for her second double-double in as many matches.
Emma Farrell stood out defensively with a match-best 27 digs. Paige Crawford again finished as the team leader in kills, totaling 18 kills. Olivia Murphy, Emmy Ogogor, and Peyton Suess contributed seven kills apiece.
How it Happened
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The first ten possessions of the opening set between both teams were traded, tied at 5-5.
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Kalani Whillock came out of the gate aggressive, delivering four early kills.
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A four-point advantage would be the most Wake Forest would get through its next dozen possessions, keeping a focus to remain in front.
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From the jump, Fuentes displayed her usual act of being the offense's engine, handing out 13 assists in set one.
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Following an Audrey Douglas kill, two final errors by Western Carolina gave the Deacs a first-set win, 25-20.
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Whillock went for eight kills on 14 hits.
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The second set began in a similar fashion to the first, as Douglas produced another successful attack to put Wake Forest up, 7-6.
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WCU then answered with a quick 7-1 run.
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At the next timeout, Wake Forest trailed 18-11.
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Three Deacs reached five kills or more at the time.
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Wake Forest soon started to creep back into the deficit, 20-17.
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However, WCU would need just a enough room on a few lasting possessions to win set two, 25-22
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Fuentes stood at 21 assists and 12 digs through two sets.
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Opening the third, the Catamounts scored the first five in a row.
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Led by Crawford, the Deacons again began to claw their way into it, squashing WCU's lead down to 11-10.
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Soon, it was Peyton Suess' turn, throwing down a pair of kills and adding a solo block to give Wake Forest a slight lead, 16-15.
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Capitalizing off a service error and back-to-back aces, WCU jumped in front once again before a break on the floor took place.
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Olivia Murphy took over in the third set's winding minutes, landing two kills and leaping for a solo block to clinch the 25-23 decision.
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After a stretch of 'seesaw play,' WCU embarked on an 8-2 run to gain an edge by the fourth set's midway point.
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Wake Forest's hitters helped continue the fight, down 19-15.
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Kendall Phillips caused another timeout by the Catamounts after serving up back-to-back service aces.
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Wake Forest gave itself a few more chances, but WCU ultimately won set four, 25-22.
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A 4-0 scoring run pushed the Deacs out 6-2 in set five.
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Things were soon tied up again, 7-7.
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Completing three of its next four tries, WCU took an 11-8 advantage.
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Wake Forest fell in five sets, 3-2, on a final 15-9 decision.
Match 2 - Wake Forest 3, Kennesaw State 1
Shaking off the early afternoon loss, Wake Forest stepped back on the floor for its final match with a collected focus, en route to defeating Kennesaw State in four periods (20-25, 25-18, 26-24, 27-25).
Peyton Suess set the tone from the start, ending the night with 21 kills to lead all players while recording a new career-high in the process.
First-years Rian Baker and Olivia Murphy played key roles in their first collegiate starts. Baker paced the offense with a match-high 46 assists. The Rolling Meadows, Illinois native's 10 digs gave her a double-double. Meanwhile, Murphy fell just short of her own double-double, ending with 13 kills and nine assists.
How it Happened
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The Deacs and Owls traded blows to start the match, with the latter taking an 8-5 lead.
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Suess took off from the outside to hammer a few strong kills, and a service error by Kennesaw State had the score at 13-9.
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A media timeout soon followed after two more points were scored by the visitors.
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Initiated by an Olivia Franke kill, Wake Forest stepped into a 3-0 run to keep close.
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The next slate of possessions once again went back and forth before KSU pieced two more to stay in front, 20-16.
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The Deacs made a few more plays, but KSU ultimately secured set one, 25-20.
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Suess chipped in four kills for Wake Forest in the period.
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Baker added 12 assists.
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Ogogor helped her squad start off the second on the right foot, leading 4-1.
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Gritty play soon led to an even score of 7-7.
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Megan Merril notched a service ace and Suess maintained her attacking spree to give Wake Forest breathing room, up 15-12.
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A successful challenge and Suess' tenth kill of the evening added to the Deacons' largest lead of the evening at the time, 19-12.
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Steadying its control, Wake Forest put the final touches on an impressive, bounce-back set of play, 25-18.
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The Deacons pieced a .333 attacking percentage in set two.
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The Owls struck first in set three, but Wake Forest kept things competitive, as Murphy nailed a straight line to give the group a slight lead of 10-8.
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Much of the same continued through the next few rallies, with Wake Forest hanging on to stay ahead.
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With a tied margin at 22 all, KSU scored once, followed by punches by Suess and Murphy.
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Going into extra points, Audrey Douglas delivered for Wake Forest first before Franke and Murphy teamed up on a big block to end the action in extra points, 26-24.
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Wake Forest wasted zero time in set four, racking up six straight points.
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The lead soon ballooned to 14-7.
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KSU responded with a 5-0 push, ended by Franke on a right-side kill.
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The two opponents took turns on several possessions next, leading to a 20-20 tie, the first of five such actions.
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Attack errors hurt KSU down the stretch, and a final assisted block between Baker and Ogogor sealed the deal on the evening win.
Standout Stat
Peyton Suess went for a new career-high in kills during the Kennesaw State matchup, ending with 21. Her previous best was 19 versus Seton Hall on September 21, 2019.
In the match versus Western Carolina, Wake Forest had six players end with seven or more kills:
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Paige Crawford - 18
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Kalani Whillock - 9
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Olivia Franke - 8
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Emmy Ogogor - 7
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Olivia Murphy - 7
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Peyton Suess - 7
From the Head Honcho
"We talk about playing to win everyday, and we fought to win each point while getting a lot from our younger players!" said head coach Randi Smart. "There were physical matches today. Our girls stayed focused and earned a great win tonight. I am very proud of what they accomplished."
Up Next
Wake Forest travels to nearby Chapel Hill next Friday (Sept. 2) for a neutral site match versus Arizona.
