Wake Forest Drops Five-Set Friday Outing Versus North Carolina at Home

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – Wake Forest volleyball faced North Carolina (12-12, 6-9) for the second time in six days on Friday night (Nov. 10). The contest turned into another five-set, toe-to-toe battle between both sides before North Carolina ended with the victory, 3-2.

Wake Forest moved to 17-9 overall on the year and now holds an 8-7 clip with Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) competition.

Friday night featured the 12th time this year that three or more Deacs recorded 10+ kills, as Paige Crawford (16), Ava Carney (14) and Ashley Slater (10) all paced the offensive attack. Slater and Carney additionally notched a .474 and .355 hitting clip, respectively. Crawford added five digs and three blocks to her line.

Rian Baker tied her career high in service aces (4) during the contest. The sophomore setter tallied a match-best 45 assists, seven digs and four kills for an overall, well-rounded performance.

Emma Farrell and Ava Torrance gathered more digs than anyone else, finishing with 15 and 13 respectively.

Emmy Ogogor contributed seven kills and six blocks.

Wake Forest ended with the upper hand in digs over North Carolina (56-48).

How it Happened

After the Tar Heels committed a service error to open the night, Rian Baker muscled her way for a kill right at the middle of the net.
Ava Carney checked in and landed two quick kills.
- Ashley Slater next slammed a ball to create a 5-5 tie in the first.
Three consecutive points gave the Deacs their first lead, 8-5.
- Baker had an ace during the push.
A few rallies were traded, as Wake Forest continued to hold onto a three-point gain (11-8).
Kills by North Carolina evened the board at 12 all.
- Emmy Ogogor hammered one down through the right to put her squad back in front by one.
At the first media timeout of the night, the Deacs held a narrow 15-14 advantage.
Wake Forest's hitters continued to help pour in points with big swings.
A successful challenge bumped the Deacon lead to 20-17.
The Tar Heels knotted a subsequent 3-1 run before suffering a hitting error.
- Going down 23-21, the visitors took a timeout.
Baker laced her second ace to put Wake Forest at set point.
Carney finished off the first with a kill, 25-22.
- The freshman had five kills in the first frame while Baker tossed out 14 assists.
Wake Forest led 5-1 in set two following kills by Carney and Olivia Franke.
- Soon forcing a Tar Heels floor break, the Deacons were up 8-3 at the time.
Ensuing points, including a Kalani Whillock ace, upped the advantage to 17-9.
- Baker continued to spread the wealth with her setting, reaching 22 assists.
A handful of errors hurt North Carolina, as the team continued to trail behind in the second (20-11).
- North Carolina went through another error on a serve and Wake Forest reached match point.
The Deacs secured set two in strong fashion, 25-14, on a final hitting mistake by the Heels.
- Four Wake Forest individuals had five or more kills through two periods while Baker stood at 23 assists and three aces.
North Carolina went up 7-2 to start set three.
Some errors by Wake Forest and aces by the Tar Heels kept the latter ahead, 11-4.
- The Deacs began to work up a 6-1 surge.
  - Paige Crawford played a heavy hand in the mount.
    - North Carolina called for a timeout.
Slater and Ogogor next made a block before the latter knocked in a kill.
An error by North Carolina resulted in a 13-13 mark.
- The Tar Heels responded by scoring three points in a row.
Wake Forest kept the action close, as possessions began to go back and forth.
A successful challenge had North Carolina at 21-17.
- Carney had an answer immediately afterward – flying for a strong, left-sided swing.
- Kendall Phillips then delivered a swift ace.
North Carolina was able to stretch its lead to 23-20, as the Deacs regrouped.
Slater and Ogogor once again teamed on a block, this time in timely fashion, to cut the deficit to 23-22.
North Carolina reached set point with a middle kill before suffering an error on its next serve.
Dior Charles checked in and made a big block to tie the margin (24-24).
- Extra points were forced.
Paige Crawford nailed a kill on a perfect set up by her classmate, Emma Farrell.
Several rallies were traded through the latter stretch of the third, as Crawford and Carney made big swings (27-27).
Fight from both sides was strong down the entire stretch, but North Carolina hung on for its first set victory of the night, 31-29.
- Baker had 34 assists and seven digs at the time while Carney and Crawford were at double-digits in kills apiece.
Early in set four, North Carolina led 7-4.
The Deacons soon earned a successful challenge, still trailing 9-7.
At the media break, North Carolina remained in front, 15-10.
Wake Forest soon took another break, still down in the fourth (18-12).
Kylie Adams soon checked into the contest.
- Freshman Olivia Fish followed with an entrance of her own.
North Carolina reached set point on a floating kill.
- Another hit completed the frame for North Carolina, 25-15.
A 4-1 gain went to the Tar Heels to open set five.
A hitting error on the left end happened by North Carolina before Olivia Franke tied things at 6 even with an ace.
North Carolina scored twice to go back up, 8-6, at the midway point of set five.
Four total possessions were traded, leading to a 10-8 mark for the Heels.
Wake Forest refused to quit, as Audrey Douglas joined in and made a key block, creating a one-point game (11-10).
- Another timeout was issued following consecutive Tar Heel points.
Franke next powered a kill right down the middle line.
- North Carolina made its way to match point on a kill and Wake Forest headed back to its bench.
  - A service error took place by the visitors.
North Carolina finished the set on a final kill from the left, 15-12.
Wake Forest fell, 3-2.

Standout Stats

Three Deacs totaled 10 or more kills on Friday:
- Paige Crawford – 16 kills
- Ava Carney – 14 kills
- Ashley Slater – 10 kills
  - It marked the 12th time in 2023 in which three or more Wake Forest players registered double-digit numbers in kills through a single showing.
Rian Baker's 45-assist total was her best in an ACC match this fall.
- The sophomore's four service aces tied a career-best mark.

From Coach Smart

"North Carolina played with fight and much effort – I have high respect for their program and tonight was another big battle. It was a tough result for us, as we started off very well with high energy. Playing the same team twice in a one-week span always holds a test.

"We are proud of this group, especially our senior class of nine players. Whether they have been here for four years, two or one, they have done so much for our program and university. I am blessed to have the honor to coach them and look forward to continuing that as we near the end of the regular season. Thank you again to Olivia (Franke), Ashley, Annabelle, Kylie, Meg, Emmy, Audrey, Lauren and Ava (Torrance). This is a special group. Time to get ready for our next challenges on the road."

Up Next

One final regular-season weekend on the road is up next for Wake Forest, as the team visits Notre Dame (Nov. 17) and Virginia Tech (Nov. 19).

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Wake Forest Drops Five-Set Friday Outing Versus North Carolina at Home

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Team Stats

Paige Crawford

Carney Ava

Slater Ashley

Ogogor Emmy

Players Mentioned

Kylie Adams

Rian Baker

Dior Charles

Paige Crawford

Audrey Douglas

Emma Farrell

Olivia Fish

Olivia Franke

Emmy Ogogor

Kendall Phillips

Ashley Slater

Ava Torrance

Kalani Whillock

Wake Forest Athletics

Wake Forest Drops Five-Set Friday Outing Versus North Carolina at Home

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Next Event

Team Stats

Game Leaders

Paige Crawford

Carney Ava

Slater Ashley

Ogogor Emmy

Players Mentioned

Kylie Adams

Rian Baker

Dior Charles

Paige Crawford

Audrey Douglas

Emma Farrell

Olivia Fish

Olivia Franke

Emmy Ogogor

Kendall Phillips

Ashley Slater

Ava Torrance

Kalani Whillock

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