Deacs Sweep California in First ACC Road Victory

Friday, October 4

Berkeley, Calif.

10 P.M.

Wake Forest University

10-4,2-1ACC

Cal-Berkeley

8-7,0-3ACC

Wake Forest

California

10/5/2024 12:46:00 AM | Women's Volleyball

Box Score

Rian Baker went for a fourth season double-double in Berkeley.

BERKELEY, Calif. – An enthusiastic start from Wake Forest volleyball led to consistent control throughout Friday night (Oct. 4), as the Demon Deacons (10-4, 2-1) visited California (8-7, 0-3) in a first Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) road matchup of fall 2024. The Deacs ultimately swept the Golden Bears in a 3-0 finish (25-18, 25-16, 25-22).

Friday involved Wake Forest's third sweep of the fall.

Middle blocker Dior Charles enjoyed an efficient evening – going 8-for-16 on attacks with zero errors (.500). The defensive anchor also added a match-best five blocks.

Setter Rian Baker orchestrated the Deacon offense en route to securing her fourth double-double of the year: 14 assists and 10 digs. Paige Crawford made plays on both ends of the court, finishing with eight kills and 11 digs.

Laila Ricks contributed seven kills (.353) and four blocks, while Emma Farrell led the team in digs (14).

How it Happened

After Tina Grkovic and Paige Crawford notched a kill and service ace, respectively, Wake Forest led 4-2 early in the first set.
- The Deacs would score on six of seven possessions, highlighted by back-to-back punches by Dior Charles.
Trailing 7-3, California took a timeout.
A handful of errors were suffered by the Golden Bears, with Wake Forest taking advantage quickly to stretch its lead to 13-6.
- Laila Ricks checked in and delivered a kill during the span.
California then found momentum to cut the deficit to 15-13 before the Deacons called for a timeout.
- Crawford answered with a kill and ace on the next two immediate possessions.
Olivia Murphy helped bump the margin back ahead with two hits in a row, and Charles answered in the middle to make it 22-17.
A final 6-1 push put set one away in Wake Forest's favor, 25-18.
- Charles went 4-for-5 on her attacks (.800) during the first frame.
Grkovic opened the second with a beautiful serve that ended as a front-row ace.
Tallying four straight points to lead by two, hitters Sahara Maruska and Murphy made nice clocks to up things to 7-5.
A 6-0 boost then went the way of the Deacs, keeping in front on a comfortable note (13-5).
- California signaled for a floor break.
Jaime Santer soon entered the match for Wake Forest.
Ricks did damage from the right side mainly, also chipping in a pair of blocks.
Scoring several additional, unanswered points, the Deacs saw Rian Baker lace an ace to put the advantage up to 20-10.
- Freshman Cy Rae Campbell stepped onto the floor during the second set as well.
Kills by Santer and Crawford put Wake Forest at set point.
Ricks finished off the frame in the middle, 25-16.
- Baker had 11 assists and nine digs at the time.
California opened set three with a 4-1 lead.
Crawford got the scoring going for Wake Forest, and several teammates plugged in to create a 7-7 tie.
- A Grkovic tie marked three points in a row by the Deacs, going up 10-7 and forcing a timeout by the host.
Both sides started to trade possessions, with Wake Forest hanging on to a slight lead (15-13).
After the Deacs committed an attacking error, the score sat even at 16 all.
- Grkovic/Murphy connected on a block afterward, followed by a Crawford ace.
- Baker then set up Santer for a timely swing.
Things stayed close down the stretch, with Wake Forest holding on to a 22-21 lead as California committed some costly, late errors.
An unsuccessful challenge for California gave the Deacs the victory in three sets, 25-22.
Wake Forest swept the Golden Bears, 3-0.

Standout Stats

Three juniors registered double-digits in digs during the evening:
- Emma Farrell – 14
- Paige Crawford – 11
- Rian Baker – 10
  - Wake Forest finished with 62 digs – its best in a three-set match this year.
Rian Baker now has a team-leading four double-doubles on the season:
- Versus Toledo (9/7/24): 19 assists and 11 digs
- Versus FIU (9/13/24): 21 assists and 12 digs
- Versus App State (9/20/24): 27 assists and 13 digs
- At California (10/4/24): 14 assists and 10 digs
Wake Forest outperformed California in all major statistical areas:
- Points: 55.0 to 35.5
- Kills: 38 to 27
- Service aces: 7 to 2
- Blocks: 10 to 6
- Assists: 35 to 25
- Digs: 62 to 57

Additional Notes

Friday night featured the first-ever meeting between Wake Forest and California.
- The Deacons have started conference play with a 2-1 clip and have won seven of their last eight overall matches.
Freshman middle hitter Cy Rae Campbell made her first collegiate appearance during the contest.
Paige Crawford has either led or tied as the team leader in kills for six matches in a row.
Dior Charles led Wake Forest in blocks for the fifth time this fall.
Finishing with five kills versus the Golden Bears, Sahara Maruska is only 41 away from reaching 1,000 for her collegiate career.

From Coach Smart
"It was great starting and finishing strong tonight. We're continuing to work on being aggressive on both sides of the ball, and we saw it tonight. It was a great audience of Wake Forest fans in California! Our friends, family and alumni made it feel like a home-court setting."

Up Next
The Deacs will round out their state in The Golden State on Sunday (Oct. 6) when they visit No. 5 Stanford. The match is set to get underway at 4 p.m. ET // 1 p.m. PT and can be viewed on ACC Network Extra.

Follow the Deacs
Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | GoDeacs.com