Deacons Battle at Miami, Fall in Four Sets

CORAL GABLES, Fla. – Sunday afternoon (Nov. 10) saw Wake Forest volleyball wrap its out-of-state weekend at the University of Miami, taking on the host Hurricanes (18-7, 9-5) in an afternoon thriller. The Demon Deacons (13-12, 5-9) put up an admirable fight, capturing the opening frame, but fell in a 3-1 finish (25-20, 18-25, 28-30, 23-25).

Outside hitter Paige Crawford was active for the Deacs throughout the contest's entirety, finishing with 17 kills. The mark tied for her best in an Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) contest this year. The Wimberley, Texas native also made a defensive effort with five digs.

Olivia Franke and Sahara Maruska each contributed eight kills. Franke was efficient in her hitting attempts (.500) and her kill total was the second-highest by the graduate student in conference play for fall 2024 thus far.

Setter Rian Baker reached over 30 assists for the second time this this season, totaling 31, in addition to five digs and a pair of service aces.

Tina Grkovic chipped in six kills and a season-high seven digs. Laila Ricks had six kills of her own with four blocks. Five Deacs posted six or more kills.

Emma Farrell paced the defense with a match-best 13 digs, as six Wake Forest individuals tallied five or more.

How it Happened

Sahara Maruska went through the middle for the Deacons' first kill of the day.
After a few traded possessions, Miami took a 7-3 lead in set one.
- The Hurricanes stacked three consecutive points to up their gain to 10-5 before the first timeout was taken.
Kills by Dior Charles and Paige Crawford quickly took place coming out of the break, as three additional errors by Miami cut the deficit to one point.
- Tina Grkovic then punched in a ball to even the board at 11-11.
Wake Forest picked up some serious momentum, scoring on six of seven possessions to go up by two.
- Rian Baker laced back-to-back service aces during the span.
Control in the middle allowed Wake Forest to maintain a four-point lead through several more rallies.
A Miami service error put the Deacs at set point.
Crawford finished the set on a powerful hit, winning the first for Wake Forest on a 25-20 finish.
- The junior went 4-of-8 on attacks with one error (.375).
Action was evenly-played early in the second (5-5).
- Miami created a bit of room with four straight points on the ensuing possessions.
  - Jaime Santer soon checked in for the Deacs.
Charles was a lively presence – making rejections at the net with force.
Wake Forest worked to stay close by, as a kill by Olivia Franke had the team trailing just 13-10.
- Additional points came for the team on a block by Grkovic/Laila Ricks and Crawford's eighth kill.
Earning a successful challenge, Miami stayed ahead (18-14).
- A 4-1 push by the host led to a timeout taken by Wake Forest.
  - Ricks and Franke responded with a kill apiece.
A dump kill by Miami placed the team at set point before going for one final right-side hit to win set two, 25-18.
- Crawford and Emma Farrell had nine kills and eight digs, respectively, at the time.
A Maruska kill put the Deacons in front 5-4 through the opening minutes of set three.
- The Houston native next lined an ace, followed by a Charles slam (8-6).
Right before the next timeout, Maruska and Franke put the Deacs' advantage to 13-11 after taking turns on swings.
Wake Forest's hitters took lead in the offensive attack, creating a four-point lead (18-14).
Miami scored three in a row, forcing a Deacon timeout.
- A following Hurricane ace evened the margin at 18-18.
Ricks took over for several plays – putting her Deacs at set point.
A 4-1 Miami boost forced extra points.
- Kills by Franke and Crawford kept Wake Forest alive.
Miami needed just enough to capture the third, finishing 30-28 on a final 3-0 run.
- Baker stood at 22 assists, four digs and two aces through three sets.
Two aces apiece by Crawford and Grkovic highlighted an exceptional start for Wake in set four, leading 8-2.
Miami tried to make something happen on a 4-0 spurt before Maruska got scoring going again for the Deacs with consecutive hammers.
Mistakes suffered by Miami had the team trailing 16-13.
Franke clocked two kills in a row from the right side, followed by a 3-0 Miami spree that led to another one-point game.
- Wake Forest was up 18-17 in the fourth.
An ace and block gave the Hurricanes a slight 19-18 lead.
- Seeing the host score twice more in a row, the Deacs called for a timeout.
Wake Forest continued to fight late, scoring on three of four tries.
- Grkovic nailed a ball straight down the middle to force a Miami timeout.
  - The Deacs trailed 23-22.
Miami knocked in two final kills to win the set, 25-23 – clinching the match.
Wake Forest fell, 3-1.

Standout Stats

Six Deacons finished with five or more digs:
- Emma Farrell – 13
- Tina Grkovic – 7 (season high)
- Sahara Maurska – 6
- Dhru Lalaji – 5
- Paige Crawford – 5
- Rian Baker – 5
Offensively, four Wake Forest players had six or more kills:
- Paige Crawford – 17
- Olivia Franke – 8
- Sahara Maruska – 8
- Laila Ricks – 6
- Tina Grkovic – 6
Wake Forest hit .225 as a unit during set three – one of its best collective clips in a single frame this fall.

Additional Notes

The Deacs and Hurricanes held their 33rd all-time meeting during Sunday afternoon.
Paige Crawford reached 15-plus kills for a sixth time this year.
Dior Charles has led the team in blocks 10 times throughout fall 2024.
A trio of Deacons continue to near personal milestones:
- Rian Baker needs 20 more assists to reach 2,000 for her career.
- Sahara Maruska needs 10 more digs to reach 1,000 for her career.
- Paige Crawford needs 36 more kills to reach 1,000 for her career.

From Coach Smart
"Overall, we gave effort and showed intensity on the road. We got off to a good start and showed several spurts of control. We got into a solid flow offensively and made a handful of defensive plays as a group. It was a tough break in those final sets, coming up just short against a very talented Miami team. They played with patience and stayed poised through what was a very competitive volleyball match. We still have some important opportunities ahead of us, and quickly."

Up Next
Wake Forest has a week of Big Four action next week, facing the NC State Wolfpack twice in a span of four days. The two sides will first match up in Raleigh on Wednesday (Nov. 13) before meeting again on the Deacs' home floor during Saturday evening (Nov. 16).

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Team Stats

Paige Crawford

Maruska Sahara

Franke Olivia

Ricks Laila

Players Mentioned

Rian Baker

Dior Charles

Paige Crawford

Emma Farrell

Olivia Franke

Tina Grkovic

Dhru Lalaji

Sahara Maruska

Laila Ricks

Jaime Santer

Wake Forest Athletics