Friday, October 27
Charlottesville, Va.
7 P.M.
Wake Forest University
at
Virginia
Wake Forest to Start Road Tilt with Matches at Virginia and No. 7 Pittsburgh
10/25/2023 10:19:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – Nearing the end of October, Wake Forest volleyball (15-6, 6-4) heads out of state this week for continuation of its Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) 2023 slate, visiting the Virginia Cavaliers (Oct. 27) and nationally-ranked No. 7 Pittsburgh (Oct. 29).
Both matchups will be available to view on ACC Network Extra.
Sunday's contest at Pittsburgh will include Wake Forest's third such test of the fall versus a nationally-ranked opponent.
The Demon Deacons have won six of their first 10 conference matches for the first time since 2010.
The Matches
Friday, Oct. 27
Wake Forest at Virginia – 7 p.m. ET
Sunday, Oct. 29
Wake Forest at No. 7 Pittsburgh – 1 p.m. ET
Last Time Out
Friday, Oct. 20 – No. 5 Louisville 3, Wake Forest 2
In front of another packed home crowd last Friday evening (Oct. 20) for the start of its 2023 Alumni Weekend, Wake Forest took on No. 5 Louisville with some serious fight. The Demon Deacons captured the first two sets before ultimately suffering a 3-2, five-set defeat.
Paige Crawford led the Wake Forest attacking tempo with a team-best 12 kills. The sophomore also contributed seven digs.
Ashley Slater chipped in nine kills while Ava Carney and Emmy Ogogor totaled eight apiece.
Kalani Whillock finished with 16 digs to pace the Deacon defense – one short of tying her season high. Emma Farrell collected 12 of those and Ava Torrance had eight.
Rian Baker and Kylie Adams handed out 18 and 14 assists, respectively.
Carney, Ogogor and Dior Charles each tallied three blocks.
Sunday, Oct. 22 – Wake Forest 3, Notre Dame 0
Right back in Varsity Arena in an early-afternoon first serve this past Sunday (Oct. 22), Wake Forest bounced back well from its Friday night loss, knocking off Notre Dame in a 3-0 sweep.
The win was the Demon Deacons' first over Notre Dame since Oct. 15, 2021.
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.
Slashing Slater
Making starts in the team's last four matchups, the experience of senior hitter Ashley Slater has aided into a heavy impact on the hardwood, as the Grand Haven, Michigan native is averaging a .438 hitting mark over her last five showings.
Ashley Slater Recent Performances
Approaching November …
Five Deacs now stand as top-10 ACC players within different statistical columns, per Oct. 25.
Additional Notes
Series History
Versus Virginia
Versus Pittsburgh
Scouting the Opposition
Virginia is at 8-12 overall and 1-9 versus ACC competition after losing its last seven matches. The Cavaliers rank third in the conference in blocks as a group, averaging 2.39 per set. A few standout players have been:
Pitt holds an 18-3 overall clip and is enjoying a three-match winning streak. The Panthers are tied for first in the conference with a 9-1 mark against ACC foes, while set to host Virginia Tech on Friday (Oct. 27). Among league member schools, Pitt ranks first as a team in points (18.24/set) and blocks (3.14/set). Additionally, the team is second in both hitting percentage (.302) and assists (12.59/set). Some of the Panthers' go-to players are:
Up Next
Wake Forest stays on the road for 'Big Four' matches to open up November, visiting Duke (Nov. 3) and North Carolina (Nov. 5).
Follow the Deacs
Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | GoDeacs.com
Both matchups will be available to view on ACC Network Extra.
Sunday's contest at Pittsburgh will include Wake Forest's third such test of the fall versus a nationally-ranked opponent.
The Demon Deacons have won six of their first 10 conference matches for the first time since 2010.
The Matches
Friday, Oct. 27
Wake Forest at Virginia – 7 p.m. ET
Sunday, Oct. 29
Wake Forest at No. 7 Pittsburgh – 1 p.m. ET
Last Time Out
Friday, Oct. 20 – No. 5 Louisville 3, Wake Forest 2
In front of another packed home crowd last Friday evening (Oct. 20) for the start of its 2023 Alumni Weekend, Wake Forest took on No. 5 Louisville with some serious fight. The Demon Deacons captured the first two sets before ultimately suffering a 3-2, five-set defeat.
Paige Crawford led the Wake Forest attacking tempo with a team-best 12 kills. The sophomore also contributed seven digs.
Ashley Slater chipped in nine kills while Ava Carney and Emmy Ogogor totaled eight apiece.
Kalani Whillock finished with 16 digs to pace the Deacon defense – one short of tying her season high. Emma Farrell collected 12 of those and Ava Torrance had eight.
Rian Baker and Kylie Adams handed out 18 and 14 assists, respectively.
Carney, Ogogor and Dior Charles each tallied three blocks.
Sunday, Oct. 22 – Wake Forest 3, Notre Dame 0
Right back in Varsity Arena in an early-afternoon first serve this past Sunday (Oct. 22), Wake Forest bounced back well from its Friday night loss, knocking off Notre Dame in a 3-0 sweep.
The win was the Demon Deacons' first over Notre Dame since Oct. 15, 2021.
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.
Slashing Slater
Making starts in the team's last four matchups, the experience of senior hitter Ashley Slater has aided into a heavy impact on the hardwood, as the Grand Haven, Michigan native is averaging a .438 hitting mark over her last five showings.
Ashley Slater Recent Performances
- Versus Notre Dame (10/22/23): 10-of-19 on attacks with two errors (.421)
- Versus No. 5 Louisville (10/20/23): 9-of-22 on attacks with four errors (.227)
- At NC State (10/13/23): 12-of-24 on attacks with three errors (.375)
- Versus Virginia Tech (10/11/23): 7-of-13 on attacks with one error (.462)
- At Syracuse (10/8/23): 12-of-17 on attacks with zero errors (.706)
Approaching November …
Five Deacs now stand as top-10 ACC players within different statistical columns, per Oct. 25.
- Dior Charles – 6th in blocks (1.12/set) – jumped up from 8th last week (Oct. 19)
- Rian Baker – 8th in assists (8.29/set)
- Paige Crawford – 9th in kills (3.33/set)
- Emma Farrell – 9th in digs (3.65/set)
- Olivia Franke – 9th in hitting percentage (.399) – recently moved back into the top 10
Additional Notes
- The Deacs have won their last six appearances against Virginia, dating back to November 2019.
- This is 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.
- Per the latest NCAA Ratings Percentage Index (RPI), released on Monday (Oct. 23), Wake Forest currently stands at No. 29.
- Sophomores Emma Farrell and Paige Crawford most recently reached 800 career digs and 600 career digs, respectively.
- Crawford continues to lead the roster in kills (273) and is now tied for the best mark in service aces (20) with classmate Rian Baker.
- The Deacons are 7-3 overall at home this fall.
Series History
Versus Virginia
- Series: Wake Forest leads, 29-28
- Last Time: Nov. 20, 2022
- Result: W, 3-0
Versus Pittsburgh
- Series: Pittsburgh leads, 11-1
- Last Time: Oct. 28, 2022
- Result: L, 0-3
Scouting the Opposition
Virginia is at 8-12 overall and 1-9 versus ACC competition after losing its last seven matches. The Cavaliers rank third in the conference in blocks as a group, averaging 2.39 per set. A few standout players have been:
- Junior defensive specialist Milan Gomillion – ranks sixth in the ACC in digs (3.83/set)
- Junior middle blocker Abby Tadder – ranks eighth in the ACC in blocks (1.09/set) and first on the team in kills (191)
- Junior setter Ashley Le – team leader in assists (513) and service aces (24)
- Graduate student middle blocker Veresia Yon – team leader in blocks (80)
Pitt holds an 18-3 overall clip and is enjoying a three-match winning streak. The Panthers are tied for first in the conference with a 9-1 mark against ACC foes, while set to host Virginia Tech on Friday (Oct. 27). Among league member schools, Pitt ranks first as a team in points (18.24/set) and blocks (3.14/set). Additionally, the team is second in both hitting percentage (.302) and assists (12.59/set). Some of the Panthers' go-to players are:
- Graduate student middle blocker Emma Monks – ranks first in the ACC in blocks (1.49/set) and seventh in hitting percentage (.422)
- Graduate student middle blocker Chiamaka Nwokolo – ranks second in the ACC in blocks (1.48/set) and third in hitting percentage (.448)
- Freshman right-side hitter Olivia Babcock – ranks third in the ACC in points (4.19/set)
- Junior setter/right-side hitter Rachel Fairbanks – ranks sixth in the ACC in assists (8.63/set)
Up Next
Wake Forest stays on the road for 'Big Four' matches to open up November, visiting Duke (Nov. 3) and North Carolina (Nov. 5).
Follow the Deacs
Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | GoDeacs.com
Players Mentioned
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