Program-Record Ten Demon Deacons Land ACC All-Academic Honors

Photo by: Seth Seebaugh

Program-Record Ten Demon Deacons Land ACC All-Academic Honors

2/2/2023 4:49:00 PM | Women's Volleyball

A major accomplishment for Wake Volley!

As the final moments of January wrap up, Wake Forest volleyball has captured a significant program feat. Multiple program players picked up strong accolades from the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC), as ultimately ten Demon Deacons were named to the conference's 2022 All-Academic Team, announced by the league office on Tuesday (Jan. 31).

The ten all-academic selections were a new program record for Wake Forest, breaking the old one of four that was set in 2021-22.

Rian Baker, Paige Crawford, Emma Farrell, Andrea Fuentes, Megan Merril, Olivia Murphy, Emmy Ogogor, Ashley Slater, Peyton Suess, and Kalani Whillock all represented on the list.

Slater has now landed a spot on the conference's all-academic team for a third straight year, being one of three all-time Deacs to have attained three such nods.

Fuentes and Whillock repeated on the list from a year ago. Suess finished her Deacon tenure with a second career selection after landing a spot as a freshman in 2019. It was a first-time honor for Baker, Crawford, Farrell, Merril, Murphy, and Ogogor.

"This is a great achievement for our program," said head coach Randi Smart. "Wake's student-athletes work tirelessly, and their dedication to their education and drive to succeed set our students apart. I am proud to be a part of this group. Congratulations to these ten for their well-earned honor."

Minimum academic requirements for selection to the All-ACC Academic Team are a 3.0 grade point average for the previous semester, a 3.0 cumulative average during one's academic career and have played in at least 50 percent of the team's contests.

Rian Baker | Fr. | Setter | Undeclared

Finished second on the team in total assists (524)
Carried a 6.31 assists-per-set average that stood in the top-10 among ACC individuals for a good portion of the season
Added 151 digs and 24 service aces -- marks that were good for fifth and fourth-best on the Demon Deacons' roster
Recorded 40 or more assists in each of her first three appearances
Racked up a season-high 46 assists versus Kennesaw State (Aug. 27) in her debut
Impressed in conference play, plugging in six matches of 22 or more assists
Totaled four double-doubles during the fall
Handed out a season-best four service aces at Notre Dame (Oct. 14)

Paige Crawford | Fr. | Outside Hitter | Undeclared

2022 ACC All-Freshman Team selection
Picked up two ACC Freshman of the Week nods during the regular season, doing so in back-to-back weekly fashion (Oct. 10 and Oct. 17)
Team leader in total kills (341) and kills-per-set (3.31)
Notched a career high of 21 kills twice, at Duke (Nov. 16) and versus Coppin State (Dec. 2)
Led the way with an efficient 16 kills (.324 attacking percentage) at No. 2 Louisville on Oct. 16
Paced the team in kills in 14 total matches
Finished second on the roster in service aces (26), third in hitting percentage (.217), fourth in digs (168), and fifth in total blocks (25.0)
Had a streak of eight matches in which she recorded double-figures in kills against conference competition
Pieced together five double-doubles

Emma Farrell | Fr. | Libero | Undeclared

2022 ACC Freshman of the Year
- The first Deac to attain such honors since Christy Williams in 2002, and the only the second all-time Wake Forest individual
Named to the 2022 ACC All-Freshman team
Landed ACC Freshman of the Week honors twice (Sept. 19 & Nov. 15)
Finished as the conference's digs-per-set leader with a 4.41 average, being the only true freshman to place in the ACC's top-10 list within the statistical category
One of three Deacs to start and compete in all 31 if the team's matches
Team leader in total digs (507) while tallying the sixth-highest total in a single season within program history
Her 4.41 digs-per-set average stands as the sixth-best clip in a single season by a program player
Recorded 20 or more digs on nine separate occasions
Third on the roster in assists (124) and service aces (26)
Recorded 22 digs in Wake Forest's 3-0 sweep over Davidson on Sep.t 16, tying for the third-best total by a Deacon in a three-set match
Had a match-best 20 digs in the outing against No. 2 Louisville
Tabbed to the 2022 Bobcat Invitational All-Tournament Team

Andrea Fuentes | Gr. | Setter | MS in Management

Team leader in assists (664)
- Finished in the conference's top-10 of individuals within that statistical category
Also led Wake Forest in service aces (31) and was second in digs (202)
Reached over 4,500 career assists in a home match versus nationally-ranked Pittsburgh (Oct. 28)
Passed the 1,500th mark in assists for her Demon Deacon tenure during a victory over Virginia Tech (Nov. 13)
Exploded for a big double-double of 50 assists and 18 digs in just the second match of the season (versus Western Carolina on Aug. 27)
Grabbed ten double-doubles for the fall campaign
Had five performances of 30 or more assists and three showings of 40 or more
Dished out a career-high five aces in the win over Virginia on Oct. 30
Finished her career ranked ninth all-time in total assists (1,709) throughout program history and eighth in assists-per-set average (8.50), done in only two seasons with the Black and Old Gold

Megan Merril | Jr. | Defensive Specialist | Health & Exercise Science

Played in 66 sets through 24 matches, making three starts
Sixth on the team in total digs (115)
Provided clutch play in the outing versus South Carolina, delivering back-to-back service aces to clinch the victory
Reached a new career high in digs (14) in just her second appearance of the season, versus Kennesaw State
Had five other performances of 10 or more digs
Handed out three aces in the win over Sam Houston (Sept. 10)

Olivia Murphy | Fr. | Outside Hitter/Right-Side Hitter | Undeclared

Competed in 18 matches during her first season on campus, making four starts
Totaled 51 kills, 38 digs, and 10.0 blocks on the year
Produced a near double-double of 13 kills and nine digs in her second collegiate match, versus Kennesaw State in the Deacs' hosted invitational (Aug. 27)
Scooped a season-high 17 digs, while adding seven kills and three blocks, in a win over South Carolina (Sept. 3)
Notched eight digs in matches versus Arizona (Sept. 2) and Notre Dame (Oct. 14), respectively

Emmy Ogogor | Sr. | Middle Blocker/Right-Side Hitter | Health & Exercise Science

Gave a valuable spark in her first season with the Demon Deacons
Led the team in blocks (106.0) while finishing second in hitting percentage (.311) and fourth in kills (215)
One of three players to compete and start in all 31 season matches
Only player to record over 20 solo blocks through the year
Plugged in a season-high 11 kills twice, versus Kennesaw State (Aug. 27) and Coppin State (Dec. 2), respectively
Had five additional performances of 10 kills
Tied her career high of eight blocks in a home victory against South Carolina (Sept. 3)
Ended with seven blocks on three separate occasions

Ashley Slater | Jr. | Outside Hitter/Right-Side Hitter | Health & Exercise Science

Made a return from injury in early September to finish fifth on the team in kills (145)
Her 2.27 kills-per-set mark was third-best among the roster
Played in 64 sets across 22 matches
Led the way in a Big Four win over NC State on Oct. 9, posting 17 kills on a .361 attacking clip
Tied a career high of four blocks versus North Carolina (Oct. 7)
Had showings of 12 kills in three different matches
Collected four digs three times...2022 Bobcat Invitational All-Tournament Team pick

Peyton Suess | Sr. | Outside Hitter/Right-Side Hitter | Health & Exercise Science

Finished her Deacon career strongly, starting in 27 of 28 appearances
Second on the team in kills (284), kills-per-set (2.56) and fourth in blocks (49.0)
Reached a career-high 21 kills twice, versus Kennesaw State (Aug. 27) and at Duke (Nov. 16)
Enjoyed a stretch of five consecutive matches of double-figures in kills through late August into early September
Had her most efficient showing on the hitting end against Boston College (Oct. 2), going 18-of-31 with three errors (.484 attacking percentage)
Tallied 14 or more kills in each of the final five matches of the season
Assisted on seven blocks at Notre Dame (Oct. 14), recording a new career best

Kalani Whillock | So. | Defensive Specialist | Undeclared

Team captain
Played in 100 sets across 27 matches while making 18 starts
Contributed heavily on the defensive end, ranking third on the team in total digs (188)
Carried a 1.88 digs-per-set average
Also finished fifth in service aces (22)
Played a dual role as a hitter early in the season, posting nine and six kills against Western Carolina (Aug. 27) and NC Central (Aug. 26), respectively
Registered a season-high 15 digs versus Boston College (Oct. 2)
Tallied six additional performances of 10 or more digs
Had four service aces in the NIVC tournament's second round matchup against Davidson (Dec. 3)