Deacs’ Fall Regular Season Comes to End in Home Finale Versus Eagles

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – Playing in front of another strong home crowd on Wednesday afternoon (Nov. 22), Wake Forest volleyball finished its 2023 regular season in a matchup against the Boston College Eagles (18-13, 7-10). The two opponents split the first pair of sets before the Eagles went on to secure a 3-1 victory.

The Demon Deacons finished the regular season with a 17-12 overall record, including an 8-10 clip against Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) competition. It is the first time since 2009-10 that the program has posted back-to-back years of eight or more wins in ACC play.

Wake Forest's season wins marked the second year in a row in which the team totaled 17 for the year – the best two-year stretch since 2000-01.

Outside hitters Paige Crawford and Ava Carney registered 14 (match high) and 12 kills, respectively, for the Deacs. Defensively, Carney also added six digs to her line, as she and Crawford chipped in three blocks each.

Crawford impressed on the serving end, dishing out three service aces to tie her season high.

Ashley Slater made plays on both sides of the ball to finish with eight kills and four blocks, tying her season high in the latter. Dior Charles had a similar impact, totaling six kills on a .455 hitting percentage while adding four blocks.

Emma Farrell led all players in digs, collecting 19. Along with Carney's six, two other Deacons tallied six or more digs: Ava Torrance (7) and Rian Baker (6). Baker additionally contributed 29 assists.

Wake Forest finished with more kills (48-44) and assists (44-42) than Boston College.

How it Happened

Seniors Ashley Slater and Olivia Franke delivered the first two points for Wake Forest, happening on kills.
Rian Baker made a very strong play at the net for a kill of her own, giving the Deacs a 6-3 start.
- Boston College then scored twice in consecutive fashion.
Baker again muscled her way in for a kill and a one-point game was created (7-6).
Ava Carney was next successful on back-to-back swings.
After the margin became even at 13 all, Boston College took a slight 15-14 lead before the first media timeout was issued.
Coming out of the break, the Eagles scored again before suffering an error and seeing Carney/Dior Charles make a big block (16-16).
Slater gave the advantage back to Wake Forest by nailing back-to-back kills.
Traded rallies continued, as tied scores went back and forth.
Carney and Slater hammered another ball apiece for a 20-20 mark in the first.
However, Boston College quickly posted two in a row, forcing Wake Forest to take a timeout.
- Slater responded with a nice swing from the right after her Deacons broke out of their huddle.
Two kills in a row put the Eagles at set point.
Another hit put the first to rest, with Boston College winning 25-21.
- Slater went 5-of-7 on attacks with two errors (.429).
Wake Forest opened set two with a 5-1 surge.
- The Eagles were ultimately able to knot things at 5-5 even.
  - Paige Crawford blasted a ball from the left side on the next possession to put a stop to the visitors' momentum.
A handful of plays by Crawford gave her squad some breathing room once again, leading by four (12-8).
- Carney and Slater stepped up as well with their forceful hitting.
By the media break, Wake Forest led 15-10.
A quick 3-1 burst, highlighted by an Emmy Ogogor kill and block by the senior, upped the gain to 18-11 in the second.
Points continued to pile in for the Deacs, with the hitters playing a major role.
Wake Forest finished with a big response in set two, capturing a comfortable 25-14 decision.
- Rian Baker had a dozen assists through two frames.
Boston College led 6-3 early in set three.
Carney stayed heady in hunting her hits, and a long reach by Crawford had Wake Forest trailing by only one (9-8).
It wasn't long before Ogogor leaped from the middle of the floor to tie things at 11-11.
- Boston College subsequently called for a floor break.
The Eagles answered with three straight points.
- Nonetheless, a service error cut their push.
Stellar effort by Crawford, around different areas of the floor, shrunk the deficit to a single point (16-15) in the third.
Boston College tacked on three more consecutive points, however, to stay ahead, 19-15.
A few errors then went back and forth between the two sides, with the Eagles still up, 22-18.
Boston College stepped into set point on an ace.
- A final kill gave the visitors set three, 25-18.
  - Carney had 10 kills and six digs at the time.
The Eagles notched a successful challenge early in set four.
- Crawford clocked a kill right afterward to even the board at 3-3.
Scoring on four of its next five tries, Boston College jumped ahead, 7-4.
- Wake Forest regrouped at its bench.
Dior Charles soon powered a kill and Olivia Fish then checked into the contest
Still behind, Crawford and Carney especially worked to help the Deacs trim things down (13-12).
Crawford remained a force in her powerful hits, and an attacking error by Boston College led to the scoreboard reading 16-16.
A 4-1 surge put the Eagles back in front, 20-17.
After going down 22-18, the Deacons took a timeout.
Boston College reached match point on an ace.
One last kill by the Eagles, happening from near the left, finished out the match in four sets, 25-20.
Wake Forest fell, 3-1.

Standout Stats

Paige Crawford tied her season high in aces, ending with three versus the Eagles.
- The sophomore hitter also posted a match-best 14 kills – the 16th time this year in which she has led Wake Forest in that category.
Ava Carney made 12 kills on Wednesday – the performance included her eighth straight showing of 11 or more.
Ashley Slater tied her season high in blocks, making four rejections against Boston College.
Emma Farrell shined defensively with 19 digs – the 20th time this fall where she has paced Wake Forest.

From Coach Smart

"We are thankful for all who have supported us this season," said head coach Randi Smart. "To again have a packed house in a midweek match during a holiday week, including support from other coaches and athletes on campus, means a lot and shows how special Wake Forest truly is. Boston College played a tough match and gave us complete effort in every set. I felt we battled to keep things close for the majority of the contest. Our hitters were aggressive and our defense had good moments. It was a tough result to the regular season, but our staff is proud to be able to coach this group."

2023 Season Highlights

This year was the first time the program has posted back-to-back seasons of 17 or more wins since 2000-01.
Wake Forest tallied eight wins in conference play -- marking two consecutive years of at least eight victories against ACC opponents.
- The feat was a first for Wake Forest throughout program history since 2009-10.
Against non-conference competition, Wake Forest finished 9-2 overall earlier this season.
- Up to date in the head coach Randi Smart era, the program has pieced together a 36-8 record versus non-conference foes.
Sophomore libero Emma Farrell collected two ACC Defensive Player of the Week honors in 2023 (Aug. 28 & Oct. 9). For her young career, she has earned four total ACC weekly awards -- the most ever by a player in the head coach Randi Smart era.
On Sept. 24, in a home match versus Florida State, sophomore setter Rian Baker notched the 1,000 assist of her career.
- She became the 15th all-time Wake Forest individual to reach such a feat.
Prior to a sweep over Clemson at home (Sept. 29), senior middle blocker Olivia Franke was honored as this year's 2023 Heather Holmes Tenacity Award recipient.
The award is presented by the program in memory of former head coach Heather Holmes to the player who best embodies Coach Holmes' tenacious and indomitable spirit, displaying characteristics such as persistence, grit, kindness, passion and leadership.
Several Deacs recorded new career highs in single matches throughout the fall:
- Ava Torrance
  - Digs – 14 (twice)
  - Assists – 4, vs. Mississippi State (Sept. 10)
- Olivia Franke
  - Kills – 14, at North Carolina (Nov. 5)
  - Digs – 6, at Kennesaw State (Sept. 8)
- Kylie Adams
  - Assists – 36, vs. Clemson (Sept. 29)
  - Digs – 8, at Syracuse (Oct. 8)
- Paige Crawford
  - Digs – 17, vs. App State (Sept. 15)
- Rian Baker
  - Assists – 51, at Notre Dame (Nov. 17)
- Emmy Ogogor
  - Kills – 17, at Virginia (Oct. 27)
  - Service aces – 3, vs. App State (Sept. 15)
Seven of the team's 17 victories this season have occurred as 3-0 match sweeps.
Wake Forest was tabbed No. 21 in the first NCAA RPI rankings released earlier this fall (Oct. 2) -- its highest nod in program history.
The Deacons went 4-1 overall in contests held at neutral sites.

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Deacs’ Fall Regular Season Comes to End in Home Finale Versus Eagles

Team Stats

Paige Crawford

Carney Ava

Slater Ashley

Dior Charles

Players Mentioned

Kylie Adams

Rian Baker

Dior Charles

Paige Crawford

Emma Farrell

Olivia Fish

Olivia Franke

Emmy Ogogor

Ashley Slater

Ava Torrance

Wake Forest Athletics

Deacs’ Fall Regular Season Comes to End in Home Finale Versus Eagles

Related News

Team Stats

Game Leaders

Paige Crawford

Carney Ava

Slater Ashley

Dior Charles

Players Mentioned

Kylie Adams

Rian Baker

Dior Charles

Paige Crawford

Emma Farrell

Olivia Fish

Olivia Franke

Emmy Ogogor

Ashley Slater

Ava Torrance

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