Deacons Fall to No. 5 Stanford in Sunday Road Match

Sunday, October 6

Stanford, Calif.

4 P.M.

Wake Forest University

10-5,2-2ACC

Stanford

11-2,3-1ACC

Wake Forest

Stanford

10/6/2024 5:57:00 PM | Women's Volleyball

Box Score

Sahara Maruska paced Wake Forest in the contest versus the Cardinal.

STANFORD, Calif. – Stepping into its first test versus a nationally-ranked opponent this fall, Wake Forest volleyball visited No. 5 Stanford on Sunday afternoon (Oct. 6). The Demon Deacons (10-5, 2-2) fell in a 3-0 defeat to the Cardinal (11-2, 3-1).

Outside hitter Sahara Maruska led Wake Forest on the attacking end, finishing with nine kills that tied for a match high. Additionally, three Deacs chipped in four kills apiece – Dior Charles, Olivia Murphy and Laila Ricks.

Rian Baker contributed 14 assists and five digs. Jaime Santer's six digs were a team-best mark.

Wake Forest went 1-1 in its first weekend of conference road matches, having earned a 3-0 sweep over California during Friday night (Oct. 4).

How it Happened

A kill by Sahara Maruska and ace from Becca Bellows opened set one.
Some early errors were traded, and a middle kill by Stanford put the host up 8-4.
- Wake Forest subsequently took its first timeout of the afternoon.
Paige Crawford netted two quick kills once action resumed.
Going on a 6-1 push, Stanford upped its lead to 14-6.
A kill apiece went the way of Olivia Murphy and Dior Charles.
Landing a successful challenge, the Cardinal stayed ahead (19-10).
After another floor break, Tina Grkovic made a strong play at the net, followed by a hammer from Murphy on the right side.
Reaching set point on a hit, Stanford closed out the first with one more kill, 25-16.
Set two started as closely played, as both sides took turns in planting kills.
- A middle swing by Grkovic had Wake Forest trailing by only two (8-6).
After Maruska and Charles chipped in points, Stanford jumped on a 3-0 boost before Jaime Santer took off from the left side.
By the frame's media timeout, the host led 15-11.
Ricks posted another point for the Deacs, but Stanford was able to score on five of six ensuing possessions.
- A successful challenge for the Cardinal put the team in front 21-13.
  - Murphy answered with a slam on the very next play.
Suffering a late service error, Stanford responded with a final kill to secure set two, 25-17.
- Wake Forest tallied a .303 hitting percentage in the period, and Maruska had six kills at the time.
Santer knocked in a ball to get set three started for the Deacs.
Stanford scored three times in a row before Maruska and Ricks both swung hard to create a one-point game (5-4).
The Cardinal then tacked a 7-1 spurt, forcing a timeout and leading 12-5.
- Crawford got the Deacs back into the scoring column after Stanford posted three more consecutive points.
- Santer and Maruska gave the Deacons additional points down the stretch.
Stanford finished off set three on a 25-12 finish, winning the match in three sets.
Wake Forest fell, 3-0.

Additional Notes

Sunday afternoon involved the first-ever meeting between Wake Forest and Stanford.
Sahara Maruska led Wake Forest in kills for the first time this season on Sunday.
- Finishing with nine kills against the Cardinal, the Houston native is only 32 away from reaching 1,000 for her collegiate career.
Jaime Santer has reached six or more digs on four separate occasions this fall.

From Coach Smart
"Credit to Stanford – we respect the fact that they hold a high national ranking and showed a nice balance today. In all, I felt this weekend was important for us to focus on several areas, away from our home floor. Getting back to Winston-Salem, we know we have another big weekend coming up and need to soon take necessary steps to get ready to protect home court."

Up Next
Wake Forest returns home next week for its first Big Four showings of the fall. The Deacs first bring in Duke on Friday (Oct. 11) at 7 p.m. ET, as the program's annual 'Dig Pink Match' will headline the evening. On Sunday afternoon (Oct. 13), the North Carolina Tar Heels will arrive in Winston-Salem for a 3:30 p.m. ET outing – the contest will air on ACC Network.

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