Crawford and Charles Shine as Deacs Down Syracuse

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – Looking to bounce back in its weekend closer, Wake Forest volleyball hosted Syracuse on Sunday afternoon (Nov. 3) inside Varsity Arena. The Demon Deacons (13-10, 5-7) used momentum after capturing a third-set thriller to finish off the Orange (13-11, 1-11) in a 3-1 victory.

Paige Crawford led all individuals in kills with 17, tying her best mark in an Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) match this year. It also marked the fifth time she has totaled 15 or more kills. On the serving end, the junior tied her career high in service aces (4). She also displayed a two-way presence with seven digs.

Dior Charles added to her ongoing stretch of efficient hitting performances, going 11-of-18 with one error (.556). Defensively, the Los Angeles native totaled six blocks.

Becca Bellows notched her third season double-double – 30 assists and 10 digs. The freshman also handed out three aces. Fellow setter Rian Baker contributed 17 assists.

Tina Grkovic finished with eight total blocks to pace all players – tying her best total in an ACC showing. Additionally, she went 7-of-12 on her attacks, suffering only one error (.500).

Emma Farrell recorded a match-best 22 digs, including a pair of aces. Three Deacs registered double-digits in digs.

Sunday brought Wake Forest its fifth conference win of fall 2024.

How it Happened

Olivia Murphy delivered a kill on the opening set's second possession for Wake Forest's first point.
- Tina Grkovic followed on the very next play.
Syracuse got ahead early with a 6-3 lead.
- Dior Charles rang a kill and block on ensuing plays.
  - The sophomore made a solo block next, creating a one-point game (7-6).
Paige Crawford quickly erupted for consecutive kills and action stood tied at 9-9.
The next combined six rallies were traded, as the score remained even (12-12).
- A Murphy punch gave Wake the lead back.
Charles again made a kill and block, assisted by Laila Ricks, in back-to-back fashion right before the first media timeout of the day.
- Wake Forest led 15-13 at the time.
Playing with good energy after the break, an Emma Farrell ace saw the Deacs reach their biggest lead of the set (19-15).
- Syracuse scored three times in a row, leading to a floor break.
  - A block by the Orange, once play resumed, tied the board at 19 all.
    - Crawford cut the visitors' momentum with a tip kill.
After Rian Baker set up Grkovic for a slam down the middle, Crawford lined a timely kill to give the Deacons a two-point gain (22-20).
- A 3-0 push put Syracuse in front again by one point.
  - Jaime Santer checked in for the Deacs, as Sahara Maruska put down two balls to reach set point.
Murphy finished off the first with a right-side hit, giving Wake Forest the 25-23 win.
- Baker collected a dozen assists and four digs through the frame.
Syracuse took four of the first five rallies to open set two.
- The Orange soon suffered a few errors before Baker made a second dump kill of the contest.
Crawford rose for a solo block and pounded two balls, working to keep her squad close by, trailing 10-8.
- The junior and Murphy took turns in the team's attacking tempo through set two.
A successful challenge was earned by Syracuse, followed by a kill and ace, stretching the Orange's lead to 15-10.
Coming out of a timeout, Maruska hung in the air for a tap, putting Wake Forest back in the scoring column.
Kills by the Orange kept the team's lead active, 20-12.
- Charles continued her two-way play to give the Deacs additional points, tallying a kill and block.
- Wake Forest earned late points with a 7-2 surge, highlighted by two Crawford aces in a row.
The Deacons refused to go away quietly, scoring six unanswered for a one-point game (24-23).
A final service error committed by Wake Forest gave Syracuse the set-two victory, 25-23.
- Crawford's serving (three aces) especially stood out during the period.
Action sat tied at 5-5 in the opening minutes of set three.
- Grkovic and Ricks had a hot hand to start.
The two sides went back and forth in competitive play, resting at a 9-9 mark.
Three straight points by the Orange soon put the visitors up 13-10.
- By the media break, Syracuse led 15-11.
  - Seeing the team score twice more in a row, Wake Forest regrouped at its bench, followed by a Charles kill.
Led by Crawford and Charles, Wake Forest used a 3-1 boost to force a Syracuse timeout, trimming the deficit down to 20-17.
The Orange chipped in two more points before Crawford knocked in a pair of kills.
- Becca Bellows dished an ace on the very next possession.
WIth the team gaining momentum, Crawford then lined an ace of her own – the Deacs trailing by only one (24-23).
A block by Grkovic/Ricks forced extra points.
All three of the set's final possessions were grabbed by Wake Forest, with Ricks putting the nail in, 28-26.
- Crawford and Charles had 11 and 10 kills, respectively, heading into the fourth.
The Deacs started set four on a fast note, leading 10-5.
- Syracuse went through a series of errors in its tries.
Crawford couldn't be stopped, piling in kills to help her Deacons go up 17-9.
- Olivia Franke soon entered the match, putting down a kill before Bellows laced her third ace.
Wake Forest maintained heavy control throughout the frame to win set four on a 25-13 finish and earn the match win.
The Deacs downed Syracuse, 3-1.

Standout Stats

A trio of Deacs finished with 10 or more digs:
- Emma Farrell – 22
- Becca Bellows – 10
- Sahara Maruska – 10
The Demon Deacons' 16.0 team blocks were their second-highest mark in an ACC match this season.
- Wake Forest posted 18.0 versus Duke last month (Oct. 11).
The Deacs finished with the upper hand over Syracuse in five statistical categories:
- Points – 83.0 to 60.0
- Kills – 55 to 43
- Service aces – 12 to 7
- Blocks – 16.0 to 10.0
- Assists – 52 to 39

Additional Notes

Wake Forest and Syracuse matched up for the 14th time in the all-time series on Sunday afternoon.
- With the win, the Deacs have defeated the Orange in consecutive meetings for the first time in program history.
Rian Baker reached over 500 career digs during the contest.
Earning an assisted block over Syracuse, Olivia Franke now ties with Kim Stern '05 for 12th on the all-time list in assisted blocks (244).
Emma Farrell has now recorded 20 or more digs six times this fall.
- Versus Syracuse (11/3/24) – 22 digs
- At No. 17 Georgia Tech (10/25/24) – 22 digs
- At Clemson (10/25/24) – 25 digs
- Versus Virginia Tech (9/29/24) – 21 digs
- Versus Davidson (9/22/24) – 26 digs
- Versus App State (9/20/24) – 26 digs
Paige Crawford reached double-figures in kills for the 11th time in fall 2024.
Three Wake Forest individuals continue to creep closet to personal milestones:
- Rian Baker needs 68 more assists to reach 2,000 for her career.
- Sahara Maruska needs 21 more digs to reach 1,000 for her career.
- Paige Crawford needs 63 more kills to reach 1,000 for her career.

From Coach Smart
"It felt good to bounce back today and play with great energy. Syracuse really challenged us throughout the match - I felt we did well to protect the net and earn a handful of 50/50 balls. It was again a day where several players stepped up. With a few weeks to go in the regular season, each match has its own importance, and we just need to continue playing for each other with enthusiasm. That is when we are at our best."

Up Next
Wake Forest is set to next head to The Sunshine State for week 11 of the fall – visiting Florida State (Nov. 8) and Miami (Nov. 10).

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Team Stats

Paige Crawford

Charles Dior

Maruska Sahara

Grkovic Tina

Players Mentioned

Rian Baker

Becca Bellows

Dior Charles

Paige Crawford

Emma Farrell

Olivia Franke

Tina Grkovic

Sahara Maruska

Olivia Murphy

Laila Ricks

Jaime Santer

Wake Forest Athletics