Wake Forest Falls to NC State in Raleigh

RALEIGH, N.C. -- Matched up with the NC State Wolfpack (9-7, 2-4 ACC) for the second time in four days, Wake Forest volleyball (8-9, 2-4 ACC) fell in a 3-1 road defeat during Saturday afternoon.

Junior Patrycja Lagida tied her season high in kills, finishing with 18 to lead all individuals. The Chotmow, Poland, native also notched her second double-double of the fall with 13 digs.

Senior Emma Farrell also recorded a second season double-double, tallying a match-high 19 digs, in addition to a season-high 11 assists.

Senior Paige Crawford was solid on both ends, registering 14 kills and nine digs. Her classmate Rian Baker had 23 assists and seven digs. Additionally, Crawford and Becca Bellows handed out two service aces apiece.

Redshirt junior Sanaa Williams and graduate student Ryleigh Whitekettle protected the net well with six and five blocks, respectively. Freshman Sadie Poeck added four blocks.

How it Happened

NC State took the first three points of set one before Sanaa Williams responded with a middle kill.
- She and Sadie Poeck then connected on a block the very next possession.
A service error shrunk the Wolfpack's early lead to 7-5.
A senior connection of Emma Farrell to Paige Crawford gave the latter her first kill of the afternoon.
The Deacs and host traded points through a few minutes, with NC State remaining in front (13-9).
At the first media timeout, the Wolfpack led 15-10.
- Poeck and Williams planted kills once action resumed.
Wake's hitters quickly picked up momentum – creating a two-point game, down 18-16.
- Poeck, Patrycja Lagida and Ryleigh Whitekettle all chipped in during a 3-0 Deacon push.
After NC State scored twice, the Deacs took a timeout.
Wake responded with another 3-0 run, paced by Lagida and Whitekettle, as the team narrowly trailed 20-19.
- A Wolfpack attacking error next allowed the Deacs to even the board.
NC State used a 3-1 boost to reach set point before Williams clocked a middle kill.
The Deacs kept their fight, as Crawford nailed two balls to force extra points.
NC State was able to complete the back-and-forth affair, winning set one on a 27-25 finish.
- Lagida had six kills and seven digs in the opening frame.
Crawford helped get Wake off to a strong start in set two, leading 5-0.
Some back-and-forth play took over, with the Deacs clinging on to a 9-7 advantage.
- Williams then threw a ball down the middle for the team's tenth point before delivering an ace.
Both sides went on quick runs, as Wake's hitters continued to keep their aggression steady.
Scoring on five of seven possessions, NC State cut the deficit to 19-18.
- Poeck immediately responded with a punch from the right side.
A Hawkins/Whitekettle block bumped the Deacs' gain to 21-18.
After Becca Bellows lined an ace, Crawford slammed a ball home to put Wake at set point.
Whitekettle clocked a kill to finish the second-set response, 25-21, as the Deacs evened the match.
- Lagida had 10 digs through two sets.
Following 10 combined rallies to start set three, NC State led 7-3.
The Wolfpack committed a handful of errors, soon cutting their own lead to 10-7.
Points on four of five tries upped NC State's lead to 14-9 before Bellows made a dump kill.
The Deacs took advantage of the Wolfpack's mistakes, and Whitekettle/Williams posted a block to have their squad trailing by a single point (15-14).
NC State then took five of the next six possessions to jump ahead 20-15, leading to a Wake timeout.
After six more traded rallies, NC State reached set point on a left-side swing before doing the same once more to win the third, 25-19.
- Farrell and Crawford had 11 digs and 10 kills, respectively, at the time.
The Wolfpack led 5-1 to begin set four.
- A Crawford kill put Wake back on the board.
Lagida helped pace the Deacs' attack and delivered an ace to put the team down only one (12-11).
Consecutive kills by Crawford and Whitekettle tied the margin at 14 all.
NC State gained a slight 18-16 edge before suffering a service error.
- Crawford laced an ace to make things even again at 18-18.
Lagida next hammered a ball to force a floor break by the Wolfpack.
Three straight points by NC State resulted in regaining the lead late in the fourth, 21-19.
The Wolfpack was able to finish the fourth set victoriously, 25-22, clinching the match.
Wake Forest fell, 3-1.

Standout Stats

Four Deacs had nine or more digs on Saturday:
- Emma Farrell – 19
- Patrycja Lagida – 13
- Paige Crawford – 9
- Becca Bellow – 9
Wake Forest outperformed NC State in several areas:
- Points – 71.0 to 62.0
- Kills – 54 to 49
- Service aces – 7 to 4
- Blocks – 10 to 9
- Assists – 51 to 45
Saturday featured the second time in conference play this season in which multiple Deacs recorded double-doubles:
- Patrycja Lagida – 18 kills and 13 digs
- Emma Farrell – 19 digs and 11 assists

From Coach Hulsmeyer
"Coming in here, we knew we would get NC State's best shot after Wednesday," said head coach Jeff Hulsmeyer. "Both teams played hard, as we saw some of the same in the first set again with extra points happening. I thought that was another set that could have gone either way. We'll need to get back to the drawing board soon and continue to improve in different ways. Now, a few weeks into ACC play, we know every single match left on our schedule will bring opportunities and challenges – it is up to us in how we control our approach."

Up Next
Wake Forest is back in Varsity Arena next weekend for a pair of home matches, beginning with a Friday test versus Georgia Tech. The contest is set for a 6:30 p.m. start time and will stream on ACC Network Extra.

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Team Stats

Patrycja Lagida

Paige Crawford

Sanaa Williams

Ryleigh Whitekettle

Players Mentioned

Rian Baker

Becca Bellows

Paige Crawford

Emma Farrell

Patrycja Lagida

Sadie Poeck

Ryleigh Whitekettle

Sanaa Williams

Wake Forest Athletics