Friday, October 18
Louisville, Ky.
7 P.M.
Wake Forest University
at
Louisville
Photo by: Helen McGinnis / Wake Forest Athletics
Deacons to Start Road Stretch, Travel to No. 4 Louisville and Notre Dame
10/17/2024 11:48:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
Live Streaming (at Louisville)Live Stats (at Louisville)Live Streaming (at Notre Dame)Live Stats (at Notre Dame)Match Notes
Wake Forest volleyball gets on the road again for the remainder of October.
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – The opening stages of a two-week road tilt is up for Wake Forest volleyball, as the Demon Deacons firstly head out of state for a pair of Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) matchups this weekend. The team is primed to firstly visit No. 4 Louisville on Friday night at 7 p.m. ET (Oct. 18) before stepping into South Bend on Sunday afternoon (Oct. 20) to face Notre Dame at 1 p.m. ET.
Both matches can be viewed on ACC Network Extra.
Friday's match against the Cardinals will be Wake Forest's second test of the fall versus a nationally-ranked opponent.
The Deacs (10-7, 2-4) are coming off their first Big Four weekend this season, having hosted Duke and North Carolina inside Varsity Arena.
The Matches
Friday, Oct. 18
Wake Forest at No. 4 Louisville – 7 p.m. ET
Sunday, Oct. 20
Wake Forest at Notre Dame – 1 p.m. ET
Last Time Out
Friday, Oct. 11 – Duke 3, Wake Forest 1
Back at home for the eighth time this season, Wake Forest brought in the Duke Blue Devils on Friday night for its annual 'Dig Pink Match.' The 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 Wake Forest individuals 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, the team'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.
Sunday, Oct. 13 – North Carolina 3, Wake Forest 0
Pitted against North Carolina, the Deacs suffered a 3-0 defeat (21-25, 16-25, 17-25) last Sunday.
Sahara Maruska tied her season high in kills during the contest, finishing with a team-best 14. The Houston native also posted her most efficient hitting performance of the year, tallying a .444 attacking percentage. Maruska added five digs to her line as well.
Olivia Murphy contributed seven kills (.316) and three blocks – the latter tying a match-best mark. Paige Crawford totaled six kills and six digs.
Setters Rian Baker and Becca Bellows had 18 and 13 assists, respectively. Three Deacons finished with five or more digs, led by Emma Farrell's team-high seven.
Growing in Numbers
For the first time this fall, Wake Forest has four individuals holding spots in the ACC top-10 categories, as Dior Charles slid into the section for blocks:
Series History
Versus Louisville
Series: Louisville leads 15-2
Last Time: Oct. 20, 2023
Result: L, 2-3
Versus Notre Dame
Series: Notre Dame leads 9-5
Last Time: Nov. 17, 2023
Result: L, 2-3
Scouting the Opposition
Tabbed No. 4 in the latest American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) team rankings, Louisville is currently 14-2 overall and undefeated in conference play with a 6-0 mark. The Cardinals have won eight of their first nine appearances at home. Team veterans Anna DeBeer (2023 ACC Co-Player of the Year) and Elena Scott (2023 ACC Defensive Player of the Year) pace the team as an outside hitter and libero, respectively.
Notre Dame stands at 9-6 overall with two ACC wins. The Fighting Irish hosts NC State on Friday (Oct. 18) before its Sunday showdown with Wake Forest. Senior Sydney Palazzolo, a 2023 All-ACC pick, leads the team in kills while freshman middle blocker Anna Bjork ranks eighth in the league in hitting percentage (.354). Notre Dame is 5-2 at home.
Up Next
Wake Forest heads South next week to continue its road tilt – visiting Clemson (Oct. 25) and nationally-ranked Georgia Tech (Oct. 27). Fans can find both matches on ACC Network Extra.
Follow the Deacs
Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | GoDeacs.com
Both matches can be viewed on ACC Network Extra.
Friday's match against the Cardinals will be Wake Forest's second test of the fall versus a nationally-ranked opponent.
The Deacs (10-7, 2-4) are coming off their first Big Four weekend this season, having hosted Duke and North Carolina inside Varsity Arena.
The Matches
Friday, Oct. 18
Wake Forest at No. 4 Louisville – 7 p.m. ET
Sunday, Oct. 20
Wake Forest at Notre Dame – 1 p.m. ET
Last Time Out
Friday, Oct. 11 – Duke 3, Wake Forest 1
Back at home for the eighth time this season, Wake Forest brought in the Duke Blue Devils on Friday night for its annual 'Dig Pink Match.' The 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 Wake Forest individuals 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, the team'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.
Sunday, Oct. 13 – North Carolina 3, Wake Forest 0
Pitted against North Carolina, the Deacs suffered a 3-0 defeat (21-25, 16-25, 17-25) last Sunday.
Sahara Maruska tied her season high in kills during the contest, finishing with a team-best 14. The Houston native also posted her most efficient hitting performance of the year, tallying a .444 attacking percentage. Maruska added five digs to her line as well.
Olivia Murphy contributed seven kills (.316) and three blocks – the latter tying a match-best mark. Paige Crawford totaled six kills and six digs.
Setters Rian Baker and Becca Bellows had 18 and 13 assists, respectively. Three Deacons finished with five or more digs, led by Emma Farrell's team-high seven.
Growing in Numbers
For the first time this fall, Wake Forest has four individuals holding spots in the ACC top-10 categories, as Dior Charles slid into the section for blocks:
- Tina Grkovic – 7th in blocks (1.27/set)
- Dior Charles – 9th in blocks (1.21/set)
- Paige Crawford – 9th in service aces (27 total)
- Emma Farrell – 9th in digs (3.70/set)
Series History
Versus Louisville
Series: Louisville leads 15-2
Last Time: Oct. 20, 2023
Result: L, 2-3
Versus Notre Dame
Series: Notre Dame leads 9-5
Last Time: Nov. 17, 2023
Result: L, 2-3
Scouting the Opposition
Tabbed No. 4 in the latest American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) team rankings, Louisville is currently 14-2 overall and undefeated in conference play with a 6-0 mark. The Cardinals have won eight of their first nine appearances at home. Team veterans Anna DeBeer (2023 ACC Co-Player of the Year) and Elena Scott (2023 ACC Defensive Player of the Year) pace the team as an outside hitter and libero, respectively.
Notre Dame stands at 9-6 overall with two ACC wins. The Fighting Irish hosts NC State on Friday (Oct. 18) before its Sunday showdown with Wake Forest. Senior Sydney Palazzolo, a 2023 All-ACC pick, leads the team in kills while freshman middle blocker Anna Bjork ranks eighth in the league in hitting percentage (.354). Notre Dame is 5-2 at home.
Up Next
Wake Forest heads South next week to continue its road tilt – visiting Clemson (Oct. 25) and nationally-ranked Georgia Tech (Oct. 27). Fans can find both matches on ACC Network Extra.
Follow the Deacs
Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | GoDeacs.com
Players Mentioned
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