Demon Deacons Wrap Non-Conference Play with Road Win at Old Dominion

NORFOLK, Va. – Wake Forest volleyball stepped into its final non-conference showing of the regular season during Saturday afternoon, visiting Old Dominion. The Demon Deacons (6-5, 0-0 ACC) took three consecutive sets after dropping the first, en route to a 3-1 victory over the Monarchs (2-7, 0-0 Sun Belt).

Senior Emma Farrell capped her impressive week with a third-straight performance of 20-plus digs – the libero finished with a season-high 24 for the day, leading all individuals.

For the sixth time this year, three Deacs reached double figures in kills – senior Paige Crawford (17), junior Patrycja Lagida (14) and freshman Sadie Poeck (season-high 13). Crawford also had two service aces while Poeck posted a .550 hitting clip.

Sophomore Becca Bellows notched her fourth double-double of the fall – 24 assists and 13 digs. Senior Rian Baker contributed 25 assists and six digs.

Redshirt sophomore Olivia Fish had her best defensive showing of the fall, totaling a season-high four blocks. Middle blockers Kelis Hawkins and Sanaa Williams added three blocks apiece.

How it Happened

Ryleigh Whitekettle gave Wake its first point of the afternoon with a soft kill.
Old Dominion got off to a 4-1 start in set one.
- The Monarchs next committed an error before Paige Crawford and Rian Baker went for a kill and service ace, respectively.
Another Crawford kill evened the board at 6 all.
Sanaa Williams followed with her first ace, and strong attacks by the Deacs' hitters kept things close.
By the contest's first media timeout, Old Dominion led 15-12.
- The Monarchs committed back-to-back errors once action resumed.
Patrycja Lagida stayed aggressive on the left side, recording her third kill.
Crawford floated from the outside to create a two-point game.
- Sadie Poeck next took flight.
A Deacon service error allowed Old Dominion to reach set point.
Old Dominion won set one on a final error by Wake, 25-22.
- Emma Farrell had six digs in the first frame.
Williams made plays quickly as set two unfolded, helping her Deacs jump on a 6-4 mark.
Struggling with mistakes in its rallies, Old Dominion called for a timeout, down 9-6.
Kelis Hawkins had a nice sequence of a right-sided hit and block, followed by a Crawford hammer, upping the set two score to 12-7 in Wake's favor.
Through the next several possessions, the Deacs remained ahead, 15-11.
- Lagida handed out an ace moments later.
Wake found itself on an 8-0 run, highlighted by a Baker ace.
A Monarch attacking error led to the Deacs sitting at set point.
Poeck put the cap on set two with a big slam, 25-13.
- Crawford had eight kills on .368 hitting at the time.
Different Wake hitters contributed as set three unfolded, including an Olivia Fish kill and block.
- The Deacs led 8-4 before a floor break took place.
Baker found Poeck on the right side minutes later to bump Wake's advantage to 14-10.
- The latter and Lagida took turns in powerful attacks to stretch the Deacs lead to 19-14 by the next timeout.
Old Dominion tacked on three straight points before Olivia Fish responded with a timely swing.
Crawford then went back-to-back in successful hits and an attacking error by the host had Wake at set point.
A Lagida punch won set three for the Deacs, 25-17.
- Farrell recorded 20 digs through the first three sets.
Crawford stayed hot into set four, piling on multiple kills.
After a 3-1 Monarch surge, Poeck and Lagida started a string of five unanswered points by the Deacs.
- Bellows laced an ace during the span.
Fish and Hawkins connected on a huge block soon afterward, as Crawford remained lethal in her hits.
- Old Dominion took time to regroup, trailing 18-10.
Another block by Fish/Hawkins happened during a stretch of Old Dominion errors.
Anya Santrac and Poeck posted a kill apiece to finish off set three for the Deacs, 25-13, securing the four-set victory.
Wake Forest defeated Old Dominion, 3-1.

Standout Stats

Wake produced 60 or more kills for the third time this season.
The Deacs had the advantage over Old Dominion in nearly every statistical area:
- Points: 72.0 to 46.0
- Kills: 60 to 39
- Service aces: 6 to 1
- Assists: 57 to 38
- Digs: 59 to 50
A trio of players recorded double-digit kills:
- Paige Crawford – 17
- Patrycja Lagida – 14
- Sadie Poeck – 13
Becca Bellows notched a double-double during the contest and now has a team-leading four this fall:
- At Old Dominion (9/20/25): 24 assists and 13 digs
- At East Carolina (9/16/25): 26 assists and 18 digs
- At Alabama (9/10/25): 23 assists and 14 digs
- At Navy (9/7/25): 17 assists and 10 digs

Additional Notes

The Deacs and Monarchs met on Saturday for the first time within program history.
Through her last 16 sets, Emma Farrell sits at 80 digs (5.0 per set).
Rian Baker reached over 600 career digs during the match.
Paige Crawford has now led or tied for Wake Forest in kills five times this year.
With the road victory, Wake Forest officially wrapped its non-conference schedule with a 6-5 record, including a perfect 3-0 start at home.

From Coach Hulsmeyer
"Today was the end of a long stretch of a lot of matches," said head coach Jeff Hulsmeyer. "I was proud of the way our team stepped up again, and we received great production from our left-side hitters. Sadie Poeck was also great from the opposite spot and Olivia Fish came in to give us a nice boost as well. Whenever you are on the road this long, it takes a lot of courage and bravery to be able to continue battling and learning on the floor. I am very proud of these players for what they've brought. Now, we have to turn our attention to the ACC and step up to a whole new level – I'm looking forward to it."

Non-Con Notes
Since the start of the 2019 campaign, the program has totaled a 50-16 record versus non-conference opponents, tallying a win percentage of .757. Additionally, Wake Forest has gone 18-2 at home against such foes during that span. Non-conference play did not take place during the spring 2020 season.

Season	Non-Conference Record	Win Percentage
2025	6-5	.545
2024	8-3	.727
2023	9-2	.818
2022	8-3	.727
2021	9-2	.818
2019	10-1	.909
Overall	50-16	.757

Up Next
Wake Forest opens Atlantic Coast Conference play next weekend, starting with a Friday night contest (Sept. 26) at No. 25 North Carolina. First serve is set for 7 p.m., with the match streaming on ACC Network Extra.

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Demon Deacons Wrap Non-Conference Play with Road Win at Old Dominion

Next Event

Team Stats

Paige Crawford

Patrycja Lagida

Sadie Poeck

Olivia Fish

Players Mentioned

Rian Baker

Becca Bellows

Paige Crawford

Emma Farrell

Olivia Fish

Kelis Hawkins

Patrycja Lagida

Sadie Poeck

Anya Santrac

Ryleigh Whitekettle

Sanaa Williams

Wake Forest Athletics

Demon Deacons Wrap Non-Conference Play with Road Win at Old Dominion

Related News

Next Event

Team Stats

Game Leaders

Paige Crawford

Patrycja Lagida

Sadie Poeck

Olivia Fish

Players Mentioned

Rian Baker

Becca Bellows

Paige Crawford

Emma Farrell

Olivia Fish

Kelis Hawkins

Patrycja Lagida

Sadie Poeck

Anya Santrac

Ryleigh Whitekettle

Sanaa Williams

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