Deacs Drop Road Tilt at No. 7 SMU

DALLAS, Texas – Wake Forest volleyball stepped into its first out-of-state matchup in Atlantic Coast Conference play during Friday night, visiting No. 7 SMU. The Demon Deacons (9-11, 3-6 ACC) fell to the host Mustangs (15-4, 7-2 ACC) in a 3-0 decision.

Junior Patrycja Lagida posted a team-best 10 kills in the match, including four digs and three service aces. Friday featured the third time in the team's last five matches in which she has tallied three aces – her best single-match mark of the fall thus far.

Senior Paige Crawford recorded a match-high 11 digs – her most in an ACC contest this season. Playing back in her home state, the Wimberley, Texas native also added eight kills. Graduate student Ryleigh Whitekettle contributed seven kills.

Sophomore Becca Bellows and senior Rian Baker registered 17 and 14 assists, respectively. Bellows also chipped in seven digs. Senior Emma Farrell finished with eight digs.

How it Happened

Paige Crawford was first to put Wake on the board in set one with a kill.
A Mustang service ace gave the host a 5-2 lead early.
Patrycja Lagida had a nice start with a pair of kills and an ace.
- Sadie Poeck was set up by Rian Baker for a right-side throwdown that tied the score at 6-6.
The Deacs pieced a 4-0 run, paced by Crawford, to step in front, 10-8.
After the Mustangs responded to even the board, Ryleigh Whitekettle took over for a quick stretch, helping Wake take another slight lead.
- By the media break, the Deacs led 15-12, hitting .400 from the floor.
SMU scored five unanswered points once play resumed, leading 17-15.
Lagida and Whitekettle gave Wake additional points with their strong swings.
- After the former lined her second ace, the Deacs trailed 21-18.
Three consecutive points put SMU at set point.
- Crawford clocked a kill on the very next possession.
The Mustangs went on to win set one, 25-20, after a Demon Deacon service error.
- Crawford had four kills and five digs in the first frame.
Wake was successful on a challenge early into set two (3-2).
The Deacs' hitters paced things through quick rallies and aggressive attacks, giving the squad a slight 7-6 advantage.
Traded possessions continued on, resulting in a 10-10 mark through the second.
A 5-1 boost by the Mustangs, including back-to-back aces, gave the host a 15-11 lead heading into the media break.
- The Deacs called for a timeout after SMU scored twice more.
Crawford and Kelis Hawkins chipped in points for Wake.
SMU was able to close out set two with a 25-14 victory, taking a 2-0 lead in the match.
- Lagida had a team-leading seven kills at the time.
After 10 combined rallies to open set three, the Mustangs narrowly led, 6-4.
SMU next scored on three of five tries before Wake regrouped at its bench, trailing 9-6.
Hawkins threw down a ball in the middle, followed by a block by Whitekettle and Sanaa Williams, to cut SMU's run.
- Whitekettle then hammered a kill from the right before SMU suffered an attacking error.
The Mustangs ultimately finished set three on top, 25-14, winning the match in three frames.
Wake Forest fell, 3-0.

Standout Stats

Wake Forest outperformed SMU in three different areas:
- Kills – 37 to 35
- Assists – 34 to 32
- Digs – 35 to 32
Patrycja Lagida's three service aces led Wake Forest.
- The junior hitter has plugged in three performances of three aces in three of the Deacs' last five matches.

Additional Notes

Friday featured the first-ever road match for Wake Forest at SMU throughout program history.
- Additionally, the contest was just the third all-time meeting between the Deacs and Mustangs.
Paige Crawford reached over 700 career digs in the match.
Rian Baker reached over 2,400 career assists during Friday night.

From Coach Hulsmeyer
"We got off to a solid start, challenging one of the top teams and keeping the tempo at an even pace," said head coach Jeff Hulsmeyer. "Credit to SMU - they were able to make plays through a match that went through a number of lead changes. I thought we were steady in spurts, but allowed them to get comfortable in other moments. We have another challenging opponent set for Sunday and need to turn our attention quickly."

Up Next
Wake Forest heads to No. 4 Pitt on Sunday, set for a 1 p.m. match time inside Fitzgerald Field House. The contest will stream on ACC Network Extra.

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Players Mentioned

Rian Baker

Becca Bellows

Paige Crawford

Emma Farrell

Kelis Hawkins

Patrycja Lagida

Sadie Poeck

Ryleigh Whitekettle

Sanaa Williams

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