Wake Forest Sweeps Notre Dame in Sunday Home Feat

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – Right back in Varsity Arena in an early-afternoon first serve on Sunday (Oct. 22), Wake Forest volleyball (15-6, 6-4) bounced back well from Friday night, knocking off Notre Dame (10-8, 4-6) in a 3-0 sweep.

The win was the Demon Deacons' first over Notre Dame since Oct. 15, 2021.

Reaching its 15th victory of the season on Sunday, this is now officially the first time Wake Forest has had three consecutive years of 15 or more wins since 1999-01.

Additionally, the Deacs have reached a third straight year of at least six Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) wins.

Hitters Paige Crawford and Ashley Slater led the way for Wake Forest with 12 and 10 kills, respectively. Slater was efficient in her hits, finishing on a .421 attacking percentage, while Crawford added five digs.

Dior Charles was a force in her net protection, leading all individuals with seven blocks. The mark tied a season high for the freshman. Fellow middle blocker Emmy Ogogor chipped in nine kills (.471) and three blocks.

Rian Baker dished out 29 assists while contributing six digs and two service aces.

Emma Farrell posted a match-best 10 digs. Ava Torrance and Kalani Whillock added five apiece.

Wake Forest finished with more points, kills, aces and blocks in comparison to Notre Dame.

How it Happened

Ashley Slater made a right-side slam for the Deacons' first point in the opening set.
The first six rallies were traded for a 3-3 tie.
- Paige Crawford then answered on back-to-back kills.
Ava Carney checked into the match and quickly delivered a nice hit for Wake Forest.
Tied scores continued through a midst of strong defensive effort by both sides before Slater hammered another ball for a one-point gain (10-9).
Notre Dame took a timeout after going down 12-9 in set one.
Scoring on four of their next six tries, the Fighting Irish kept close by, 14-13.
Kalani Whillock laced a service ace to again have Wake Forest up by three points.
- Nevertheless, Notre Dame found a way to even the board (17-17).
  - The Deacs subsequently called for a timeout.
Crawford next clocked two kills, giving her squad a slight edge.
After Rian Baker set up Emmy Ogogor for a swift hit around the middle area of the floor, Wake Forest led 21-19.
- Notre Dame regrouped at its bench.
Ogogor and Baker connected on a block immediately afterward, followed by a Crawford tip kill.
Notre Dame refused to go away quietly, however, scoring twice, as the board read 23-22 in Wake Forest's favor.
An ace by the Fighting Irish tied things up at 23 all.
Notre Dame was able to reach set point, but Carney stayed patient on a swing to force extra points.
The Fighting Irish suffered an attacking error, and Olivia Franke provided a clutch ace to seal the first for Wake Forest, 26-24.
- Crawford had seven kills on a .412 attacking clip to start.
Similar to the first, set two began on a closely-played clip (4-4).
- Ogogor held a presence with her hitting.
Much of the same story continued, as Slater became alive with a personal spurt of three kills in a row.
- The margin was tied at 11-11 at the time.
An unsuccessful challenge following the set's media timeout had Notre Dame up by one (15-14).
- Ogogor flew in for a kill immediately afterward.
Notre Dame fought to hold a two-point advantage (19-17).
- Activity by Wake Forest's hitters kept the team in it.
- Carney then created yet another tie (19-19).
Baker then lined an ace but Notre Dame knotted two additional points to stay even at 21 all.
Kills by Slater and Crawford helped Wake Forest reach set point quickly.
- A block by the former and Ogogor put away the second in a 25-22 decision for Wake Forest.
  - Baker had 22 assists and five digs through two frames.
An explosive middle kill by Dior Charles opened the third set.
Wake Forest went up 4-1 early.
The Deacs earned a successful challenge to bump its mark to 8-3.
- Charles followed with a punch off vert.
  - The freshman was a notable spark with her net protection, as her team jumped ahead 14-8.
Notre Dame took a timeout.
Crawford remained a force in her hitting, with Wake Forest staying in front (19-14).
Errors down the late stretch hurt the Fighting Irish, and the Deacons finished strongly on a 25-18 note in set three to solidify the match sweep.
Wake Forest defeated Notre Dame, 3-0.

Standout Stats

Against the Fighting Irish, Wake Forest finished with an advantage in:
- Points: 54.0 – 47.0
- Kills: 40 – 39
- Service aces: 4 – 1
- Blocks: 10 – 7
Dior Charles tied her season high in blocks on Sunday, finishing with seven:
- Versus Notre Dame (10/22/23) – 7 blocks
- At Boston College (10/6/23) – 7 blocks
- Versus App State (9/15/23) – 7 blocks
Ashley Slater went 10-of-19 on attacks, suffering only two errors, for a .421 hitting clip.

Additional Notes

Wake Forest moved to 7-3 at home this fall.
Paige Crawford has been the team leader in kills 13 times throughout matches in 2023.
- Her classmate, Emma Farrell, has done the same in digs on 13 occasions of her own.
Ashley Slater is hitting .338 on the year.
The Deacs' sweep over Notre Dame was their seventh such win of the fall.

From Coach Smart

"I felt our group played hard throughout the day and finished strong for a very good win over a talented Notre Dame," noted head coach Randi Smart. "We saw a handful of balanced plays from different players across different areas of the floor. What a great way to end our homecoming weekend. Again, it was wonderful to spend time with our alums and have them cheer us on all weekend long!

"These next couple of weeks on the road should be a good challenge for us in different ways. We will need to shift that attention right away as we get closer to November."

Up Next

Wake Forest starts a two-week road tilt next week, first visiting Virginia (Oct. 27) and Pittsburgh (Oct. 29).

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Team Stats

Paige Crawford

Slater Ashley

Ogogor Emmy

Carney Ava

Players Mentioned

Rian Baker

Dior Charles

Paige Crawford

Emma Farrell

Olivia Franke

Emmy Ogogor

Ashley Slater

Ava Torrance

Kalani Whillock

Wake Forest Athletics