Wake Forest Falls On the Road at No. 4 Pitt

PITTSBURGH – Wake Forest volleyball wrapped its out-of-state weekend up North on Sunday afternoon, visiting No. 4 Pitt. The Demon Deacons (9-12, 3-7 ACC) again battled hard but suffered a 3-0 loss to the Panthers (17-3, 9-1 ACC).

Senior Paige Crawford paced the Deacs' tempo with a team-high 10 kills. Of note, the Wimberley, Texas native did so on 20 attacks with only two errors, good for a .400 hitting percentage. Crawford also added six digs to her line.

Senior Emma Farrell had another standout defensive performance, leading all individuals with 13 digs.

Junior Patrcyja Lagida and graduate student Ryleigh Whitekettle finished with eight and five kills, respectively. Whitekettle made three blocks as well.

Redshirt junior Sanaa Williams posted four blocks to tie the match high. Setters Rian Baker and Becca Bellows collected 14 and 11 assists, respectively.

How it Happened

Pitt took the first six points of set one.
Paige Crawford got Wake on the board with a big hit from the left side.
- The senior hitter and Kelis Hawkins posted additional points for the Deacs.
At the first media timeout of the day, the Panthers led 15-6.
Following the break, Wake scored for the fourth time on six possessions, as Patrycja Lagida was able to nail an angled kill.
Traded points led to an 18-9 lead by Pitt in the first.
- The Deacs subsequently called for a timeout.
Afterward, Crawford clocked her fifth kill before Ryleigh Whitekettle swung home a ball from an overpass.
- The latter performed the same action a possession later, giving her squad a boost off the bench.
The Panthers took three rallies in a row to go ahead 22-12.
- Lagida responded with a hammer, set up by Becca Bellows.
A Pitt block put the host at set point before taking set one, 25-13, on a final Wake attacking error.
- Crawford and Emma Farrell recorded five kills and four digs, respectively, in the opening frame.
Farrell lined a service ace to begin a nice start for Wake in set two, leading 4-1.
The Panthers tacked on four consecutive points to step in front, 5-4.
Lagida hunted down a pair of kills and Rian Baker found Sanaa Williams in the middle to keep things close (8-6).
Going on a 4-1 surge, Pitt led 11-6 after a successful challenge.
Sadie Poeck made a nice pair of plays before Whitekettle posted a kill and block in back-to-back fashion.
After the Panthers earned points on three of four more tries, Wake regrouped, down 17-11 in the second.
- Williams cut the run with a middle slam.
Five unanswered points for Pitt then took place.
Williams and Crawford added to the Deacs' scoring column with attacks.
Pitt was able to capture a 25-17 set-two victory.
- Baker had 10 assists through two sets.
Ivana Cvetkovic subbed in not long after set three unfolded.
- Kills by Crawford and Lagida opened the scoring.
Pitt took a 9-4 lead on a 4-0 push, leading to a floor break.
Wake's hitters took charge through some back-and-forth play, taking turns on kills.
Midway through the third, the Panthers led 15-8.
- Williams/Whitekettle soon made a massive rejection at the net (15-10).
Williams again stopped a Panther run with a punch down the middle.
Pitt was able to finish out the match in straight sets with a 25-13 victory in set three.
Wake Forest fell, 3-0.

Standout Stats

Three Deacs posted six or more digs in the match:
- Emma Farrell – 13
- Becca Bellows – 6
- Paige Crawford – 6
Paige Crawford recorded her best hitting percentage (.400) in conference play this season.
Sanaa Williams hit over .400 for the third time in her last four matches.
- The redshirt junior tallied a .400 clip against the Panthers.

Additional Notes

The Deacs and Pitt matched up for the 16th in program history during Sunday afternoon.
Finishing with 11 assists against the Panthers, Becca Bellows is now only 59 away from reaching 1,000 for her career.
Paige Crawford has now led the team in kills eight times this year.
Sunday featured Wake Forest's fourth contest versus a nationally-ranked opponent this season.

From Coach Hulsmeyer
"Today was another test for our group, and I was looking to see how we would step up," said head coach Jeff Hulsmeyer. "I thought we again showed some good things, especially as the first and second set went on. Pitt is one of the top teams, year after year, and I give credit to them for playing a balanced volleyball match. It will be good for us to return home and prepare for the opportunity to protect our home floor for two weeks."

Up Next
The Deacs begin a two-week homestand next, beginning with matchups versus West Coast opponents inside Varsity Arena this upcoming weekend. The team will first host California on Friday (Oct. 31), with the match set for 6:30 p.m. and streaming on ACC Network Extra.

Follow the Deacs
Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | GoDeacs.com

Next Event

Team Stats

Paige Crawford

Patrycja Lagida

Ryleigh Whitekettle

Sanaa Williams

Players Mentioned

Rian Baker

Becca Bellows

Paige Crawford

Ivana Cvetkovic

Emma Farrell

Kelis Hawkins

Patrycja Lagida

Sadie Poeck

Ryleigh Whitekettle

Sanaa Williams

Wake Forest Athletics