Deacs Battle Blue Devils, Fall in Four

Friday, October 11

Winston-Salem, N.C.

7 P.M.

Wake Forest University

10-6,2-3ACC

Duke

7-9,3-2ACC

Duke

Wake Forest

Photo by: Helen McGinnis / Wake Forest Athletics

10/11/2024 10:22:00 PM | Women's Volleyball

Box Score Photo Gallery

Wake Forest held its first Big Four outing of the fall during Friday evening.

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – Back at home for the eighth time this season, Wake Forest volleyball (10-6, 2-3) hosted the Duke Blue Devils (7-9, 3-2) on Friday night in a first Big Four matchup of fall 2024. The Demon Deacons were able to grab a relentlessly-played second set that went into extra points, but ultimately fell in a 3-1 defeat (23-25, 33-31, 19-25, 22-25).

Four Deacs totaled four or more blocks, led by Dior Charles' match-high 10. It marked the second time in the sophomore's young career in which she registered double figures in that area. As a whole, Wake Forest's 18 blocks tied for a season-best clip.

Freshman setter Becca Bellows notched her second double-double of the season, finishing with 21 assists and 11 digs.

Paige Crawford led the offense with 14 kills while also adding nine digs and a pair of service aces. Sahara Maruska contributed nine kills and 13 digs. Emma Farrell collected a team-best 16 digs and additionally racked up seven assists.

Tina Grkovic posted seven kills and eight blocks while fellow graduate student Laila Ricks had eight kills and five blocks.

How it Happened

Olivia Murphy kicked off the night with a right-side slam, set up by Rian Baker.
- Paige Crawford followed up strongly, throwing down a ball.
After a few Deacon errors, Duke went up 5-2 in the first.
- Wake Forest soon took its first timeout of the evening, trailing 8-3.
Dior Charles came alive to make two notable plays in back-to-back fashion, earning a block and kill to cut things to 9-6.
Two additional kills in a row kept the Blue Devils ahead, 13-7.
- Sahara Maruska responded with an explosive hit on the very next play.
By the set's media timeout, Duke led 17-11.
- Laila Ricks then leaped for a nice swing before Baker delivered a service ace.
Wake Forest got on a 5-0 run, forcing a timeout by the visitors.
- Duke was up 19-16 at the time.
Tina Grkovic knocked in two balls near the middle, helping keep her Deacs close by.
- A quick 3-1 burst by Wake Forest trimmed things to 23-21.
- On the very next possession, Becca Bellows lined an ace and Duke regrouped at its bench.
Wake Forest got close in a one-possession game but fell just short in set one, 25-23.
- Charles had four blocks in the first frame.
Things were tied at 4 all in the second before Grkovic rose for a solo block.
After much of the same continued through six more combined rallies, Maruska powered in a block to give Wake an 8-7 lead.
Both sides suffered a couple of errors and the scoreboard soon sat even at 10-10.
After another tied score occurred (13-13), Duke added two consecutive points right before the media break unfolded.
- Scoring on three of its next four tries, the Blue Devils upped their gain to 18-14.
Wake Forest took advantage of two mistakes by Duke and then Crawford handed out an ace to tie the margin, 18-18.
Both teams kept trading blows, as Maruska again took off for a hammer (21-21).
- A Crawford kill gave the Deacs a slight 23-22 edge.
Bellows set up Ricks to reach set point.
- Duke notched a kill and play continued into extra points.
  - Crawford provided another timely hit, and Grkovic answered with a block (26-25).
Duke scored twice but committed a service error, as the action kept going (27-27).
Another Blue Devil mistake on a serve gave Wake Forest a 30-29 lead.
The Deacs fought through the lengthy period to finish victorious, 33-31, as Duke saw one final setting error.
- Maruska and Grkovic had eight kills and six blocks, respectively, through two.
  - The latter made five rejections in the set alone – the most by a Deac in a single frame this year.
A successful challenge for the Deacs gave them a 5-3 lead early in the third.
- Charles/Maruska soon teamed on a block to keep a two-point lead active, 6-8.
Crawford landed a pair of kills, and the board became tied at 11 all.
Duke also won a challenge, but suffered a service error, as Wake Forest went into the media timeout ahead by a single point (15-14).
A 4-1 boost by the Blue Devils put them in front, 18-16.
- Duke scored twice more, but a Charles solo block put a stop to the momentum.
With the visitors knotting a five-point lead (23-18), Wake Forest called for a timeout.
Two lasting kills by the Blue Devils gave the team a 25-19 win in the third.
- Bellows produced 19 assists and 11 digs through the three sets.
Duke got off to a 5-2 start in set four.
- Crawford and Grkovic next chipped in a kill apiece.
Three errors in a row cost the Blue Devils, as the Deacons found themselves down by only one (8-7).
Duke posted a few kills, going up 13-9.
- Elena Dragani soon took the court for Wake Forest.
Ricks nailed a ball and Grkovic met a Blue Devil at the net to gain a 4-0 scoring run (13-13).
Traded points happened for a stretch, and Jaime Santer/Charles connected on a block to give the Deacs an 18-17 advantage.
- 'Seesaw play' continued, highlighted by a Maruska ace, with Duke hanging on to a 22-21 nod.
Duke was able to secure the victory with a 25-22 finish in set four.
Wake Forest fell, 3-1.

Standout Stats

The team's collective 73 digs resulted as a new best mark of the fall in a single showing.
- Five players had nine or more digs:
  - Emma Farrell – 16
  - Sahara Maruska – 13
  - Becca Bellows – 11
  - Paige Crawford – 9
  - Rian Baker – 9
Wake Forest finished with the upper hand in blocks versus the Blue Devils – 18 to 7.
- Three Deacons tallied five or more:
  - Dior Charles – 10 (match high)
  - Tina Grkovic – 8
  - Laila Ricks – 5

Additional Notes

Friday night involved the 76th all-time meeting between Wake Forest and Duke.
Paige Crawford led the team in kills for the fifth time this fall.
Entering the contest ranked sixth in blocks within the Atlantic Coast Conference (1.25/set), Tina Grkovic finished with eight versus the Blue Devils.
Emma Farrell recorded her eighth season performance of 15-plus digs.
Finishing with nine kills against Duke, Sahara Maruska is only 23 away from reaching 1,000 for her collegiate career.

From Coach Smart
"It was a very physical match tonight – credit to Duke for making some big plays. Defensively, I thought we gave effort. We still need to keep working on different things offensively, maintaining a rhythm through these competitive conference matches. With another in-state opponent coming in on Sunday, we know we need to get ready for this opportunity, and quickly."

Up Next
The weekend of Big Four action continues for Wake Forest into Sunday afternoon (Oct. 13), when the Deacs welcome the North Carolina Tar Heels in a matchup that is set for 3:30 p.m. ET. The contest will air on ACC Network.

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