Deacs Suffer Road Defeat at No. 24 Florida State

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Starting off its final out-of-state weekend for the regular season, Wake Forest volleyball visited No. 24 Florida State on Friday evening (Nov. 8). It was the Demon Deacons' (13-11, 5-8) fourth test versus a nationally-ranked opponent this fall. The host Seminoles (17-6, 9-4) were able to capture a 3-0 victory.

Paige Crawford produced a team-best 10 kills while adding five digs. Her classmate, Emma Farrell, paced the defensive tempo – leading all individuals with 13 digs.

Tina Grkovic contributed six kills on a .444 hitting percentage. She and fellow middle blocker Dior Charles made a handful of rejections at the net, finishing with four and seven blocks, respectively. Charles also chipped in five kills.

Rian Baker posted 17 kills, four digs and two service aces. Sahara Maruska had five kills and five digs.

Wake Forest finished with the advantage in blocks over the Seminoles, 10-7.

How it Happened

Florida State got off to a 4-0 start in set one before the first timeout of the evening took place.
After the Seminoles were successful on a challenge, Tina Grkovic smashed a ball near the middle to give Wake Forest its first kill.
A 5-1 run by the host put Florida State ahead 10-3 before Dior Charles hammered down a kill on the very next possession.
- The sophomore would start a 3-0 Deacon push.
- Becca Bellows and Olivia Franke soon entered the frame.
By the next timeout, the Seminoles remained ahead in the first (13-6).
- Coming out of the break, Franke netted a kill from the right side.
Wake Forest again scored three unanswered points, trimming the deficit to 15-11.
Rian Baker handed out a service ace and Sahara Maruska caught fire for three quick kills during a 5-1 Wake spree.
After Charles and Paige Crawford teamed up on a block, a one-point game was created.
- Wake Forest trailed only 18-17.
The Deacons continued to build off their momentum, scoring four times in a row to take a late lead 21-20.
- Florida State subsequently called for a timeout.
Things quickly became tightly-played down the latter stretch of possessions (23-23).
A middle kill by the Seminoles put the team at set point before one final hit won the first in a 25-23 finish.
- As a team, Wake Forest hit .333 from the floor in the opening period.
  - Crawford went 4-of-7 with zero errors while Emma Farrell scooped eight digs.
Two consecutive aces by Florida State put the team up 6-3 early in the second.
Crawford continued her aggressive hitting and the Seminoles suffered a few errors, resulting in an 8-8 tie.
Scoring on five of the next seven combined possessions, Florida State was able to again step in front (13-10).
Laila Ricks and Charles gave their Deacs some additional points on kills.
At the set's media timeout, Florida State led 15-12.
Once action resumed, Crawford nailed a ball before Charles/Maruska made a block.
Baker evened the margin (17-17) with her second ace and Maruska/Grkovic gave the team the lead on a rejection at the net.
The Deacs connected well through several rallies, as a Charles kill led to a 22-20 lead.
Florida State responded with four straight points – reaching set point on a Deacon hitting error.
Coming out of a floor break, Charles denied Florida State's next attack.
The Seminoles were able to finish off set two on a kill for another 25-23 victory.
- Charles had five kills and five blocks at the time.
Florida State took the first lead of set three, 7-2.
- Crawford stopped the run with a strong swing, set up by Baker.
Going down 11-4, Wake Forest regrouped at its bench.
The Seminoles tacked on seven more straight points before committing a serving error.
Florida State stayed ahead for the rest of the set, winning the third on a 25-11 finish.
Wake Forest fell, 3-0.

Standout Stats

Wake Forest bested Florida State in team blocks (10-7), as five individual players had two or more.
- Dior Charles led the way with seven blocks.
  - The total tied for her second-best mark in an Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) showing this season.
Four Deacs had five or more kills:
- Paige Crawford – 10
- Tina Grkovic – 6
- Dior Charles – 5
- Sahara Maruska – 5

Additional Notes

Wake Forest and Florida State met on Friday evening for the 47th time in the ongoing all-time series.
Paige Crawford reached double-figures in kills for the 12th time this season.
Three Wake Forest individuals continue to near closer to personal milestones:
- Rian Baker needs 51 more assists to reach 2,000 for her career.
- Sahara Maruska needs 16 more digs to reach 1,000 for her career.
- Paige Crawford needs 53 more kills to reach 1,000 for her career.

From Coach Smart
"The first two sets were incredibly competitive and up for grabs. We put ourselves in position and were close for the taking – needing to earn just a few more balls. I felt our blocking was strong often and we controlled the middle well at times. We need to learn from this and carry it into Sunday quickly, stepping into what should be another challenging environment on the road."

Up Next
Wake Forest will round out its weekend in The Sunshine State with a Sunday visit (Nov. 10) to the University of Miami. The Deacs and Hurricanes are set to match up at 1 p.m. ET and the contest will air on ACC Network.

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Team Stats

Paige Crawford

Grkovic Tina

Maruska Sahara

Charles Dior

Players Mentioned

Rian Baker

Becca Bellows

Dior Charles

Paige Crawford

Emma Farrell

Olivia Franke

Tina Grkovic

Sahara Maruska

Laila Ricks

Wake Forest Athletics