Deacs Sweep Hokies in Comfortable Wednesday Showing

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – Wake Forest volleyball (14-4, 5-2) again had a poised team performance in full effect on Wednesday evening (Oct. 11), bumping its win streak to three matches while sweeping the Virginia Tech Hokies (11-7, 1-6) in a 3-0 finish.

The Demon Deacons' 5-2 start in Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) play is their best since 2006, when that year's team also held a 5-2 mark through four weeks of conference action.

Wake Forest's current 14-4 mark is its best clip through mid-October in a single season since 2003.

Paige Crawford led her Deacs in kills for an 11th time this year, finishing with 13 on the night, including a .357 hitting percentage.

Veteran middle blockers Olivia Franke and Emmy Ogogor posted eight kills apiece, with the former contributing a team-high-tying four blocks.

Ashley Slater was again efficient in her looks, going 7-of-13 in attacks and only committing one error (.462). Rian Baker handed out 21 assists.

Emma Farrell and Ava Torrance led the way defensively, each collecting 11 digs. Ava Carney had six kills and four blocks.

Wake Forest moved to 6-2 at home this year.

How it Happened

Making her way into the starting lineup for the first time this fall, Ashley Slater had the evening's opening. kill for Wake Forest.
Paige Crawford took off from the left side of the court to nail a hit and create a 4-4 tie.
- Next, the sophomore lined up a nice service ace before slamming a ball through the middle.
Errors by Virginia Tech resulted in the Deacs going up 9-5 in set one.
The two sides began to trade a couple of kills but mistakes on attacks hurt the Hokies a bit.
- Crawford, meanwhile, landed a few more hammers.
  - Slater followed with one of her own from the right.
By the first media timeout, Wake Forest led 15-10.
Two more kills by Crawford, in a consecutive fashion, caused Virginia Tech to quickly take a timeout.
Subbing onto the floor, Olivia Franke gave a spark right away, posting three kills in just a few minutes.
- Emmy Ogogor and Ava Carney also chipped into the team's attack.
A hitting error by the Hokies had the Deacs at set point.
Capped off with a Rian Baker ace, Wake Forest took set one comfortably, 25-14.
- Crawford was dominant — going 7-of-10 on attacks (.700).
- As a team, Wake Forest hit .481 from the floor in the opening period.
The Deacs kept their foot on the pedal right into set two, scoring the first four points.
- Ogogor had a block and kill quickly in the opening moments.
Virginia Tech tried to cut down the deficit with hits, 7-5.
Wake Forest responded with an immediate 3-0 push.
- The Hokies subsequently took a floor break in set two, trailing 10-5.
Franke made some neat plays in different ways while the Deacon hitters stayed in control.
- Wake Forest was able to stretch its advantage to 15-7.
  - Annabelle Daly soon checked in for the first time this year.
Virginia Tech tacked on a short 3-1 run before suffering additional errors on serves and attacks.
Crawford put her Deacs at set point with a strong swing.
- Fighting through a lengthy rally on the frame's final possession, the sophomore would answer once again with a lasting kill.
The Deacs went 2-0 in the match, capturing set two on a 25-16 finish.
- Ava Carney and Ogogor each had four blocks at the time.
Virginia Tech opened set three on a 5-1 start.
- Kylie Adams set up Slater to give Wake Forest possession back.
Going down 8-2, the Deacons called for a timeout break.
- Ogogor answered right away from the right side after stepping back on the floor.
  - Carney followed with back-to-back hits from the left.
An unsuccessful challenge kept Virginia Tech ahead, 11-5, in the third.
Wake Forest caught fire in its tempo, jumping on a 6-1 boost and trailing by only one.
Ogogor kept the energy rising with two kills that ultimately put her squad in front, 17-15.
- Ava Torrance made a handful of head-turning defensive plays.
Franke took off from the right twice and a 20-17 gain went to the Deacs.
- Virginia Tech next committed two service errors.
The Hokies stayed close by, trimming things to 23-22.
- Wake Forest regrouped.
Crawford clocked a kill to reach match point.
Dior Charles and Baker made a block to finish the set, 25-23, and end the night on an electric note.
Wake Forest swept Virginia Tech, 3-0.

Standout Stats

The Demon Deacons outperformed Virginia Tech in five major statistical categories:
- Points: 53.0 to 39.0
- Kills: 43 to 29
- Blocks: 7 to 5
- Assists: 36 to 26
- Digs: 42 to 34
Wake Forest netted a .481 attacking clip in set one – its best in a conference match thus far. For the match, the Deacs tallied a .341 mark, which was ultimately their third-best percentage in a single match this year.
Paige Crawford's 13 kills and Rian Baker's 21 assists both were match highs.

Additional Notes

Ashley Slater made her first season start on Wednesday.
The contest included the first fall appearance by senior defensive specialist Annabelle Daly.
Paige Crawford has led Wake Forest in kills 11 times through 18 showings.

From Coach Smart

"This was a very important match from us and I felt we had a good focus from the first serve," said head coach Randi Smart. "I love the hustle plays that were made and how different players stepped in and kept the energy high. In the third set, we got a bit behind early but the way we responded to bounce back was very impressive. Overall, it was another great home win. We have a major opportunity to do it again on Friday, this time on the road."

Up Next

The Deacs will make a short road trip to Raleigh for their first 'Big Four' test of the fall on Friday (Oct. 13), facing NC State at 7 p.m. ET. The match will be streamed on ACC Network Extra.

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Team Stats

Paige Crawford

Ogogor Emmy

Olivia Franke

Slater Ashley

Players Mentioned

Kylie Adams

Rian Baker

Dior Charles

Paige Crawford

Annabelle Daly

Emma Farrell

Olivia Franke

Emmy Ogogor

Ashley Slater

Ava Torrance

Wake Forest Athletics