Deacs Defeat Hokies, Pick Up First ACC Victory

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – Wake Forest volleyball (9-4, 1-1) wrapped its four-match homestand on Sunday afternoon (Sept. 29), hosting the Virginia Tech Hokies (6-6, 0-2). The Demon Deacons maintained control as a unit to capture a 3-1 victory (25-14, 22-25, 25-15, 25-17).

The win was the first within conference play for Wake Forest this fall.

Becca Bellows went for a new season high in service aces, collecting four of the team's eight. The freshman setter was also close to a double-double — 20 assists and eight digs.

Paige Crawford led the Deacs in kills for the fifth match in a row, finishing with 13. Adding 10 digs to her line, the Texas native recorded her first double-double of the fall.

Sunday featured a third straight match in which Emma Farrell reached 20-plus digs, leading all players with 21 on the day.

Sahara Maruska contributed nine kills, nine digs and two aces. Dior Charles anchored the Deacon defense with seven blocks. Olivia Murphy went 8-of-13 on her attacks, committing only two errors (.462), while Laila Ricks posted eight kills and five blocks.

How it Happened

The Deacs opened the afternoon with a pair of blocks – with Dior Charles assisting on both of those.
- Becca Bellows then set up Laila Ricks for a right-side slam before notching an ace.
Being unsuccessful on an early challenge, the Hokies found themselves down 5-0 in set one.
Charles threw down a ball from the middle and connected with Sahara Maruska for a third block before Virginia Tech signaled for a timeout.
- Wake Forest led 8-0 at the time.
The Hokies' first two points happened on blocks.
A couple of mistakes by the visitors helped the Deacs remain in front, 14-6.
- Rian Baker and Olivia Murphy soon checked in, as the latter teamed with Tina Grkovic for a big block.
Murphy and Charles were set up for additional kills to stretch the Wake advantage to 19-10.
- Ricks chipped in to add more points into the Deacons' scoring column.
A 5-1 run by Wake ensued, as a Hokie attacking error allowed the Deacs to reach set point.
Paige Crawford put the first away with a powerful hit, 25-14.
- During the opening set, Charles had four blocks while Ricks went 4-for-5 on attacks with one error (.600).
The first six points of set two were earned by Virginia Tech.
- A service error suffered by the Hokies put an end to their spurt.
  - Maruska soon lined an ace.
Crawford got hot in her hits – knocking in three kills in seven rallies and eventually evening the margin at 8 all.
Tallying a 4-1 run, Virginia Tech went back in front, 14-10.
- By the time the next timeout was taken, the Hokies led 17-12.
  - The team continued a 7-2 push through the frame.
Wake Forest caught momentum late in its swings, as Murphy and Grkovic nailed a kill apiece to cut the deficit to 22-18.
- Six unanswered points happened during the stretch, capped by a Crawford ace.
  - However, Virginia Tech took three of the final four possessions to capture a 25-22 set-two victory and even the match at 1-1.
    - Emma Farrell had 11 digs through two periods of play.
The Deacons protected the net early in set three, leading 5-3.
- After the Hokies scored three straight, Wake Forest regrouped at its bench.
Murphy took over with successful attacks, putting down three consecutive kills.
Bellows' fourth ace of the afternoon upped Wake Forest's lead to 11-7.
The Deacs' core of hitters stayed aggressive to keep making plays, maintaining comfort past midway in the third (17-11).
Notable defense by Wake Forest kept the team in control, with a Maruska punch leading to match point (24-15).
- Ricks proved to be the answer next, securing the set win on a 25-15 finish.
  - The Deacs scored on six of the final seven combined possessions.
    - Entering the fourth, Crawford and Maruska each had eight kills.
Everything went right for Wake Forest in the opening moments of set four (9-0).
Virginia Tech was able to score five straight, but a kill by Ricks and Baker ace put the Deacs back in a groove.
Three more consecutive points by the Hokies kept them close by (11-8), and Wake Forest took a floor break.
- Three of the next four tries all resulted as errors by Virginia Tech while the Deacs surged ahead, 16-9.
Maruska, Charles and Ricks all helped keep the team's collective, offensive attack going (21-11).
- Virginia Tech responded with four points in a row totaled.
Crawford put Wake Forest at match point with back-to-back kills.
Virginia Tech committed one final service error, giving Wake Forest the match victory in four sets (25-17).
Wake Forest defeated the Hokies, 3-1.

Standout Stats

Collecting four service aces, Becca Bellows reached a new season high on Sunday.
Four Wake Forest individuals notched eight or more digs:
- Emma Farrell – 21
- Paige Crawford – 10
- Sahara Maruska – 9
- Becca Bellows – 8
Paige Crawford's 13 kills tied for a match high, leading a quartet of Deacs that had eight or more:
- Paige Crawford – 13
- Sahara Maruska – 9
- Olivia Murphy – 8
- Laila Ricks – 8

Additional Notes

Wake Forest matched up with Virginia Tech for the 53rd time in the all-time series during Sunday afternoon.
- The Deacs have now grabbed wins in three of the last four meetings.
With 21 digs on Sunday, Emma Farrell now sits at seventh all-time in career digs (1,156) throughout program history.
Paige Crawford has either led or tied as the team leader in kills for five matches in a row.
Dior Charles paced Wake Forest in blocks for the fourth time this season.
Finishing with nine kills on Sunday, Sahara Maruska is only 46 away from reaching 1,000 for her collegiate career.
- The Houston, Texas native also crossed over 900 career digs in the contest versus the Hokies.
Wake Forest now holds a 5-2 record at home this fall.

From Coach Smart
"Great to get a conference win today. I felt our serving and blocking were both very strong. We put ourselves in a good position with early leads at times, and different players made plays throughout the match. There is a huge opportunity coming up for us next week, traveling out of state. Preparation needs to start now, as we keep pushing forward."

Up Next
A first weekend of ACC road matches takes Wake Forest to the West Coast next, visiting league newcomers California (Oct. 4) and Stanford (Oct. 6). The Deacs will match up with the Golden Bears next Friday at 10 p.m. ET // 7 p.m. PT before taking on the Cardinal during Sunday at 4 p.m. ET // 1 p.m. PT.

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Players Mentioned

Rian Baker

Becca Bellows

Dior Charles

Paige Crawford

Emma Farrell

Tina Grkovic

Sahara Maruska

Olivia Murphy

Laila Ricks

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