Wake Forest Downs Fighting Irish on Seniors and Graduates Night

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – Wake Forest volleyball continued home action on Friday night inside Varsity Arena, hosting Notre Dame. The Demon Deacons (11-13, 5-8 ACC) brought energy from the very start, making plays with great timing to ultimately earn a 3-1 victory over the Fighting Irish (8-13, 5-8 ACC).

Senior Paige Crawford enjoyed one of her best performances of the year on the hitting and serving end. The Wimberley, Texas, native posted a line of 17 kills, four service aces and five digs, in addition to a .452 hitting percentage. Her mark in aces tied for a career-best total in a single match.

Two other Deacs joined Crawford as individuals with double-digit kills – junior Patrycja Lagida (16) and freshman Sadie Poeck (10). Poeck also had three blocks. Freshman Ivana Cvetkovic impressed with a match-high seven blocks – her most of the fall.

Graduate student Ryleigh Whitekettle contributed nine kills and six blocks. Sophomore Becca Bellows recorded 27 assists while senior Rian Baker was just short of a double-double – 15 assists and nine digs to lead all individuals.

The Deacs finished with eight aces – their most in a conference match this fall.

How it Happened

Ivana Cvetkovic and Ryleigh Whitekettle connected on a block during the first possession of the evening.
Kills by Patrycja Lagida and Sadie Poeck gave the Deacs a 4-2 lead early on.
Whitekettle helped ignite a 5-1 boost for Wake, upping its advantage to 9-4.
The Deacs kept showing impressive hustle to stack additional points, soon forcing a Notre Dame timeout.
- Whitekettle and Crawford were standouts in leading the charge.
Crawford then delivered back-to-back service aces, followed by two Lagida swings.
The Fighting Irish continued to struggle with errors, trailing 17-7 and taking another floor break.
- Returning to the court, the visitors responded with a 6-1 push before Lagida clocked another ball.
Poeck helped get the Deacs back on track, knocking two quick kills.
Crawford put Wake at set point with a hit and her third ace of the period.
Whitekettle put the first away with an aggressive punch, 25-18.
- Lagida had five kills in the opening set.
Wake's hitters carried their strong play into set two, tacking on a 5-4 lead.
- Cvetkovic/Whitekettle made two blocks in consecutive fashion next.
Crawford stayed solid in her serving, lining a fourth ace before hammering a ball.
By the media timeout, Wake led 15-10.
- Dhru Lalaji placed an ace immediately afterward.
Five unanswered points ensued by Notre Dame, creating a one-point deficit (16-15).
Blocks by the Deacs kept them ahead, as traded service errors soon took place (20-18).
Rian Baker lined an ace in timely fashion, giving Wake a 22-20 advantage.
The Fighting Irish were able to step in front on a 3-0 push.
- A block in the middle put them at set point.
Notre Dame was able to win the second on a Demon Deacon service error, 25-23.
- Crawford and Becca Bellows had nine kills and 12 assists, respectively, at the time.
Back-and-forth play made up set three to start, as Wake narrowly trailed 7-6.
- Sanaa Williams made a handful of plays on the attacking and defensive end.
The board was soon tied at 10-10.
Wake did well through its next few possessions, leading 15-12 at the media break.
Notre Dame stayed close in taking three of the next four tries.
- Poeck responded with some power from the right side.
The Fighting Irish made things even again (19-19) before Lagida slammed a ball home, set up by Emma Farrell.
A Notre Dame attacking error allowed Wake to reach set point.
Crawford came in the clutch with a kill that gave the Deacs a 25-23 set-three win.
- Baker had 10 assists and a match-leading seven digs through three frames.
Lagida started a 4-0 run shortly into set four, as Wake led 5-2.
After Notre Dame scored three times in a row, the Deacs jumped on another 4-0 spurt to leap ahead, 9-5.
- Poeck shined with two kills and a block during the stretch.
After the Fighting Irish took a timeout, Poeck stayed hot, joined by Crawford on the hitting end, and Bellows notched an ace.
An unsuccessful challenge by Notre Dame had the visitors trailing 15-10 midway in the fourth.
The two sides traded rallies, highlighted by Lagida's hitting.
Much of the same continued through several minutes, resulting in a 19-16 Wake lead.
Notre Dame was able to create a 20-20 tie.
- Bellows found Crawford on the left side, nailing a kill on the very next possession.
- Lagida did the same a moment later, and the Deacs had some breathing room late in the fourth (22-20).
Whitekettle made a block and threw down a kill to let Wake reach match point.
Whitekettle would be the one to put the cap on the match, winning set four (25-21) on one final kill.
Wake Forest defeated Notre Dame, 3-1.

Standout Stats

Wake Forest hit .355 for the match, including a .520 clip in set one.
Sadie Poeck (.562) and Paige Crawford (.452) posted their best hitting percentages in ACC play.
Thee Deacs had five or more digs:
- Rian Baker – 9
- Emma Farrell – 8
- Paige Crawford – 5
A trio of players tallied 10-plus kills:
- Paige Crawford – 17
- Patrycja Lagida – 16
- Sadie Poeck – 10

Additional Notes

Prior to the contest, Wake Forest held its annual Seniors and Graduates Night – celebrating Rian Baker, Paige Crawford, Emma Farrell and Olivia Murphy for their contributions to the program since arriving on campus in fall 2022.
The Demon Deacons and Notre Dame faced each other for the 16th time in the all-time series during Friday evening.
- With the win, the Deacs have taken three of the last four meetings.
Finishing with 27 assists in the Friday match, Becca Bellows is now only seven away from reaching 1,000 for her career.
- Additionally, fellow setter Rian Baker is close to the 2,500-career assist milestone, needing 24 more.
Friday featured the second career start and first in conference play for Ivana Cvetkovic.
Paige Crawford has now led the team in kills 11 times this season.

From Coach Hulsmeyer
"What a great night for our seniors, their families and our fans," said head coach Jeff Hulsmeyer. "It was an outstanding match – we got a lot of contributions, some of which showed up in the stats and some didn't. Paige Crawford did a great job, super matched by Sadie Poeck as well, and Patrycja Lagida also really stepped up. For us to hit over .300 against such a strong team was amazing. It was an offensive battle tonight and I can't be more pleased with the way we closed out the sets."

Up Next
Wake Forest returns to its home floor on Sunday (Nov. 9) to face No. 7 Louisville in a 1 p.m. contest. Fans can view the match on ACC Network Extra.

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Wake Forest Downs Fighting Irish on Seniors and Graduates Night

Next Event

Team Stats

Paige Crawford

Patrycja Lagida

Sadie Poeck

Ryleigh Whitekettle

Players Mentioned

Rian Baker

Becca Bellows

Paige Crawford

Ivana Cvetkovic

Emma Farrell

Patrycja Lagida

Dhru Lalaji

Olivia Murphy

Sadie Poeck

Ryleigh Whitekettle

Sanaa Williams

Wake Forest Athletics

Wake Forest Downs Fighting Irish on Seniors and Graduates Night

Related News

Next Event

Team Stats

Game Leaders

Paige Crawford

Patrycja Lagida

Sadie Poeck

Ryleigh Whitekettle

Players Mentioned

Rian Baker

Becca Bellows

Paige Crawford

Ivana Cvetkovic

Emma Farrell

Patrycja Lagida

Dhru Lalaji

Olivia Murphy

Sadie Poeck

Ryleigh Whitekettle

Sanaa Williams

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