Deacs Battle Cavaliers in ACC Opener Amongst Record-Setting Home Crowd

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – Opening up Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) play on its home floor, Wake Forest volleyball (8-4, 0-1) hosted the Virginia Cavaliers (11-1, 1-0) on Friday night (Sept. 27). The two sides battled through five sets before the visitors won on a 3-2 finish (25-13, 26-24, 23-25, 16-25, 7-15).

A new home attendance record was set inside Varsity Arena during the evening, as 847 spectators filled the gymnasium. The mark broke the previous record of 721 that happened on Aug. 25, 2023 in a victory over Toledo.

Emma Farrell totaled 26 digs for the second time in as many matches, tying for a season high. The junior libero paced a Demon Deacon defense that posted 66 team digs for the contest.

Sahara Maruska went for a new season high in digs (14) while tying her best clip of the fall in service aces (3) and adding nine kills.

Paige Crawford led all individuals with 15 kills, also contributing seven digs. Laila Ricks finished with 11 kills and five blocks.

How it Happened

After Virginia committed an attack error on its first possession, Olivia Murphy threw down a kill and Rian Baker laced a service ace.
Paige Crawford and Murphy delivered another hit apiece soon to put Wake Forest up 6-2 in set one.
- Six combined kills were then traded between the two sides before Laila Ricks and Tina Grkovic connected on a big Deacon block.
Virginia cut the deficit to a single point with a 4-1 spurt but suffered two blocking errors.
- Crawford handed out an ace to keep her Deacs ahead (14-10).
Fresh out of the media timeout, Grkovic made an ace shortly before Murphy slammed home another ball.
- The Cavaliers quickly regrouped to their bench, down 17-11.
  - Wake Forest was enjoying a 6-1 run at the time.
Dior Charles went off for a handful of plays near the net, making two blocks after a Becca Bellows ace to cause another Virginia timeout.
- Wake stayed ahead, 21-13.
Punches by Ricks and Charles put the Deacons at set point.
- The latter finished out the frame with a tip kill from the right side, as Wake Forest won 25-13.
  - Ricks had four blocks in the first.
A kill by the Cavaliers evened set two at 4-4 early.
- The Deacs responded by rattling off three straight, highlighted by a Sahara Maruska clock.
Crawford and Maruska took charge through a series of 'seesaw play,' keeping the Deacs narrowly in front (13-10).
By the media timeout, Wake Forest led 15-12.
Blocks by Virginia ultimately tied the period at 16 all.
Much of the same continued for eight more rallies combined before a pair of Cavalier swings put the visitors up by two (22-20).
- Murphy had a quick answer from the right and Maruska made it a tied set once again (22-22).
- Committing a costly hitting error, Virginia called for a timeout.
Bellows placed Wake Forest at set point on an ace.
A kill and block by the Cavaliers led into extra points.
Maruska and Crawford took turns on lasting kills to put set two away, 26-24, in the Deacs' favor.
- Marsuka had seven kills and nine digs at the time.
Several Wake Forest individuals came out swinging effectively in the third, as the team went up 6-3.
- Ricks played as an anchor especially.
Virginia tried to stay close by, trimming things to 9-7 before Ricks hammered another kill.
- The visitors soon tied the margin with a rejection at the net (12-12).
The Cavaliers pieced three consecutive points right as the set's media break was reached, going in front (15-13).
Wake Forest reset quickly, as Maruska made an ace to create a 16-16 tie.
- Six additional rallies saw the score remain even (19-19).
Virginia created some comfort with a late 4-1 push.
- Grkovic wouldn't be denied – answering immediately with a kill and solo block.
An unsuccessful challenge by the Deacs led to Virginia capturing a 25-23 third-set win.
- Emma Farrell had 22 digs through three sets played.
Crawford went to work right away in set four, helping Wake Forest tally a 4-1 start.
- A quick 3-1 burst went the way of the Cavaliers.
After Virginia scored three more unanswered, the Deacs took a floor break, trailing 7-4.
Wake Forest stayed heady – a dump kill by Bellows tied things up at 9 all.
Three straight errors were then suffered by Virginia, giving the Deacs a 12-9 advantage.
The Cavaliers stayed in front through several more possessions (19-13).
- Olivia Franke and Jaime Santer soon checked in for Wake Forest.
Only letting up three more points in the final minutes, Virginia took set four on a 25-16 finish.
Action was tightly played early in the fifth (4-4).
Virginia took an 8-6 lead right as the two teams switched benches.
Charles was set up by Rian Baker once play resumed on the floor.
The Cavaliers upped their lead to 10-7, forcing a Wake Forest timeout.
- A 5-0 finish by Virginia gave the team a 15-7 win in set five, securing the match.
Wake Forest fell to Virginia, 3-2.

Standout Stats

Sahara Maruska notched a new season high in digs, collecting 14.
- Friday marked the third time this season in which she has registered double-digits in that area.
Ending as the team leader in kills for the third time this year, Paige Crawford tallied a match-best 15 – tying her second-best total of fall 2023.
Wake Forest ended with 66 digs – the third most in a single showing by the Deacs this season.
The Deacs bested Virginia in four statistical categories:
- Points: 73.0 to 72.0
- Kills: 54 to 50
- Service aces: 9 to 8
- Assists: 50 to 38

Additional Notes

Wake Forest and Virginia met for the 59th time throughout series history on Friday night.
Emma Farrell recorded 25-plus digs for the second match in a row.
- Additionally, the junior libero has reached 15 or more digs six times this fall.
Paige Crawford has either led or tied as the team leader in kills for four straight matches, currently at 61 kills through the last 18 sets played.
Finishing with nine kills against the Cavaliers, Sahara Maruska is only 55 away from reaching 1,000 for her collegiate career.

From Coach Smart
"Tough battle – Virginia made adjustments throughout the match and kept competing. I felt we did things well through the opening sets. Staying the course will be key for us every night here in conference play, we will need to continue to make that a point of emphasis. An opportunity to bounce back is up for us on Sunday.

Up Next
The Deacs' second conference test of the fall will involve a Sunday afternoon matchup with Virginia Tech (Sept. 29), rounding out the weekend. First serve is set for 1 p.m. ET and the match can be viewed on ACC Network Extra.

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Deacs Battle Cavaliers in ACC Opener Amongst Record-Setting Home Crowd

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Team Stats

Paige Crawford

Ricks Laila

Maruska Sahara

Charles Dior

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

Deacs Battle Cavaliers in ACC Opener Amongst Record-Setting Home Crowd

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Next Event

Team Stats

Game Leaders

Paige Crawford

Ricks Laila

Maruska Sahara

Charles Dior

Players Mentioned

Rian Baker

Becca Bellows

Dior Charles

Paige Crawford

Emma Farrell

Olivia Franke

Tina Grkovic

Sahara Maruska

Olivia Murphy

Laila Ricks

Jaime Santer

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