Wake Forest Falls in Three Sets at NC State

RALEIGH, N.C. – Making a midweek appearance for the first time this fall, Wake Forest volleyball visited NC State on Wednesday evening (Nov. 13). It was the Demon Deacons' (13-13, 5-10 ACC) third Big Four showing of the season. NC State (13-10, 8-7 ACC) took the contest in a 3-0 victory (19-25, 17-25, 25-27).

Junior libero Emma Farrell impressed on the defensive side with a match-high 19 digs, as four Wake Forest players finished with six or more.

Olivia Franke led the Deacs in kills with eight, including a .583 hitting percentage. Paige Crawford and Sahara Maruska added seven and five kills, respectively.

Setters Rian Baker and Becca Bellows posted 16 and 14 assists, respectively. Dior Charles tallied three blocks.

How it Happened

After NC State scored the first three points of the evening, Dior Charles gave Wake Forest its first point on a kill.
Rian Baker soon set up Tina Grkovic for two consecutive hits down the middle, cutting the early deficit to 7-4.
- Sahra Maruska and Laila Ricks then stepped onto the floor.
The next six rallies were traded, as Maruska took off for a hard swing.
- Olivia Franke powered two balls through the right side to shrink the Wolfpack's lead to one point (11-10).
  - Franke was an immediate spark to the team's hitting tempo, chipping in three kills in four possessions.
Following a Crawford slam and successful challenge by NC State, the host led 15-12 by the first media timeout.
A few errors were suffered by the Wolfpack coming out of the break.
- Franke put down another ball to keep her Deacs close by (17-16).
NC State then totaled three straight points, forcing a Wake Forest timeout.
- Crawford responded with a neat hit as soon as play resumed.
After lining a service ace, the Wolfpack reached set point on a left-side kill.
- The team put down one final kill, this time from the middle, to win set one on a 25-19 mark.
  - Franke went 4-of-6 on attacks with one error in the first frame (.500).
NC State led 3-0 to begin set two before committing a service error.
- Grkovic and Crawford then teamed up for a block on the next possession.
Trailing 7-2, Wake Forest called for a timeout.
A Grkovic punch and Baker ace got the Deacons back into the scoring column, down 8-5.
Seeing NC State go through another stretch of mistakes, Wake Forest fought to trim the deficit down, earning a block by Charles/Maruska.
- Wake Forest trailed 16-9 at the time of the next timeout taken.
  - A 3-1 run by the Deacs followed.
Kills by the Wolfpack kept the team's lead active.
NC State ultimately took set two, 25-17.
- Emma Farrell had seven digs at the time.
Wake Forest started set three on a fast note, leading 5-0.
- A Maruska ace forced a Wolfpack timeout.
  - Crawford and Franke next clocked a kill apiece.
An ace by Becca Bellows upped the team's gain to 9-2.
NC State was able to earn points on nine of its next 12 tries, creating a one-point game.
- Stepping out of a floor break, back-to-back errors by the Wolfpack gave Wake Forest a 14-11 edge.
NC State soon evened the margin at 16 all.
Maruska and Olivia Murphy answered with big swings, giving their Deacs the lead back (19-17).
Hustle plays by the team led to another boost, going up 21-18.
Another one-point game soon unfolded, with Wake up 22-21, as NC State took three of the next four rallies.
- An attack error had the board tied once again (23-23).
A clutch Crawford kill forced extra points.
NC State was able to secure set three, 27-25, to win the match.
Wake Forest fell, 3-0.

Additional Notes

Wake Forest and NC State met for the 66th time in the all-time series during Wednesday evening.
Dhru Lalaji and Kalani Whillock made their first career and season starts, respectively.
- The latter returned to the court for her first appearance since Sept. 6, 2024.
Emma Farrell notched 15-plus digs for the 12th time in fall 2024.
Dior Charles has now ended as the team leader in blocks on 11 separate occasions this season.
A group of three Deacons continue to close in on personal milestones:
- Rian Baker needs four more assists to reach 2,000 for her career.
- Sahara Maruska needs four more digs to reach 1,000 for her career.
- Paige Crawford needs 29 more kills to reach 1,000 for her career.

From Coach Smart
"Our control in the middle again had its moments – we gave ourselves a chance in a third set that went down to the wire. It was good to see a few of our own make returns to the floor and contribute. We'll see this team again in a few days – another opportunity in our home gym."

Up Next
Wake Forest will face NC State again on Saturday night (Nov. 16), bringing the Wolfpack to Winston-Salem for a first serve at 7 p.m. ET inside Varsity Arena. Fans can watch the match on ACC Network Extra.

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Team Stats

Franke Olivia

Paige Crawford

Maruska Sahara

Grkovic Tina

Players Mentioned

Rian Baker

Becca Bellows

Dior Charles

Paige Crawford

Emma Farrell

Olivia Franke

Tina Grkovic

Dhru Lalaji

Sahara Maruska

Olivia Murphy

Laila Ricks

Kalani Whillock

Wake Forest Athletics