Deacs Fall to Cavaliers On the Road

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – Wake Forest volleyball finished its two-week road tilt in Charlottesville on Sunday afternoon, visiting the Virginia Cavaliers. The Demon Deacons (14-15, 8-10 ACC) battled but ultimately fell short in a 3-1 decision to the host (12-16, 5-13 ACC).

Senior Paige Crawford led Wake Forest in kills for a third-straight outing while notching her third double-double of the year and second in conference play. The Wimberley, Texas native finished with 14 kills, 13 digs and two blocks. Fellow senior Emma Farrell also recorded her second double-double within ACC play – collecting 19 digs and 11 assists. Crawford's total in digs was her most in a conference match this fall.

Junior Patrycja Lagida produced 12 kills and eight digs. Graduate student Ryleigh Whitekettle additionally had 12 kills of her own.

Redshirt junior Sanaa Williams went 5-for-9 on attacks with zero errors (.556) while posting a match-high six blocks. Freshmen Kelis Hawkins and Sadie Poeck added four blocks apiece.

Senior Rian Baker finished with 18 assists and nine digs. Sophomore Becca Bellows chipped in 21 assists and five digs.

How it Happened

Virginia scored three of the first four points of set one before Patrycja Lagida punched a ball down.
The Cavaliers suffered several mistakes early on, as Sanaa Williams also added a point for the Deacs.
After Paige Crawford swung home her first kill, Wake took the lead on a Kelis Hawkins block and Ryleigh Whitekettle hit.
- The Deacs seized momentum quickly, jumping on a 6-0 run and leading 10-7 before forcing a timeout.
Crawford and Whitekettle anchored the team with their attacking, and a Cavalier service error gave Wake a 13-10 advantage.
Lagida and Sadie Poeck added to the scoring, helping the Deacs force another Virginia timeout.
- Wake led 17-12 at the time.
After Poeck nailed another kill, Dhru Lalaji checked into the match.
- The former teamed with Williams on a block moments later.
Williams delivered an ace three possessions later, and the Deacs were successful on a challenge late.
A Whitekettle kill placed Wake at set point.
Crawford finished off the frame, 25-18, for the Deacs.
- The senior had five of the Deacs' 15 kills in set one.
Virginia led 5-1 to open the second.
Lagida and Crawford worked hard on the hitting end to get Wake back on track.
Hawkins made some nice plays in the middle, getting another block before Whitekettle smacked a ball on the right side to tie things at 8-8.
Some back-and-forth play took over, still even through six more possessions (11-11).
- Lagida leaped from the left side on the next rally, muscling in her sixth kill.
At the media timeout, Virginia held a slight 15-14 lead.
- Poeck soared high for a hammer immediately once play resumed.
Emma Farrell lined an ace and Wake kept fighting to stay close by, down only one (19-18).
Virginia proceeded to score three straight times before committing an error on its next serve.
Three final kills gave the Cavaliers a set-two win, 25-19.
- Farrell had eight digs and seven assists at the time.
Throwdowns by Williams and Crawford kicked off set three for the Deacs.
Even play headlined the set, tied at 8 all as Rian Baker continued to set up Wake's hitters.
Earning seven points on nine tries, Virginia went up 15-10 by the time the media timeout arrived.
Wake strung a quick 3-0 boost on a pair of Cavalier errors and Whitekettle slam, but the host scored twice more to remain ahead, 18-13.
- Williams chipped in two kills through the next three possessions.
Virginia was soon successful on a challenge to go up 23-17.
A block and kill by the Cavaliers closed out set three in their favor, 25-17.
- Baker had 14 assists and seven digs entering the fourth set.
Lagida started set four with two immediate kills.
A 5-1 run put Virginia in front, 5-3.
Williams enjoyed a nice sequence of a kill and block, as the two sides traded points.
Virginia used another 5-1 spree to up its lead to 12-8.
- Hawkins cut the run with a tap down the middle.
The Cavaliers took a 15-10 advantage into the media break.
Lagida continued to provide a spark in her hitting for the Deacs while Farrell and Williams maintained strong defensive effort.
Virginia created some room late with a 5-2 push, ahead 22-14.
Stepping back onto the floor, Becca Bellows laced an ace.
The Cavaliers were able to wrap set four on a 25-18 decision, winning the match.
Wake Forest fell, 3-1.

Additional Notes

The Deacs faced the Cavaliers for the 60th time in program history during Sunday afternoon.
Paige Crawford has now led the team in kills 14 times this season.
Patrycja Lagida reached over 800 career kills during the match.

From Coach Hulsmeyer
"We knew today would be a dogfight," said head coach Jeff Hulsmeyer. "Similar to Friday, Virginia played a scrappy match and was able to make plays at needed times. It was a tough battle but we will look to quickly turn around for a final week of opportunities for the regular season. We need to prepare to protect our home court on Wednesday."

Up Next
The Deacs will make their final home appearance of the regular season on Wednesday afternoon (Nov. 26), hosting the Duke Blue Devils in a 3 p.m. contest. The match will stream on ACC Network Extra.

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Team Stats

Paige Crawford

Ryleigh Whitekettle

Patrycja Lagida

Sadie Poeck

Players Mentioned

Rian Baker

Becca Bellows

Paige Crawford

Emma Farrell

Kelis Hawkins

Patrycja Lagida

Dhru Lalaji

Sadie Poeck

Ryleigh Whitekettle

Sanaa Williams

Wake Forest Athletics