Deacs Fall on the Road at No. 25 North Carolina

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – Wake Forest volleyball opened Atlantic Coast Conference play on Friday night, visiting No. 25 North Carolina in a first Big Four matchup of fall 2025. The Demon Deacons (6-6, 0-1 ACC) suffered a 3-0 defeat to the host Tar Heels (8-2, 1-0 ACC).

Graduate student Ryleigh Whitekettle had one of her best showings of the season, leading the way with a team-high 12 kills on a .500 attacking clip.

Senior Paige Crawford and junior Patrycja Lagida added 10 and nine kills, respectively. Lagida also had seven digs.

Senior Rian Baker went for a second double-double of the year, totaling 15 assists and 10 digs. Sophomore Becca Bellows contributed 17 assists.

Defensively, senior Emma Farrell paced the Deacs with a team-high 12 digs while redshirt junior Sanaa Williams posted two blocks.

How it Happened

Ryleigh Whitekettle nailed a kill on the opening possession of set one.
- Patrycja Lagida followed with two quick kills.
A hit by the Tar Heels gave them a 6-4 start.
A few rallies went back and forth between the two sides, with North Carolina remaining ahead, 10-7.
Strong swings by Lagida and Paige Crawford helped keep the Deacs close by through several more minutes.
At the first media timeout of the evening, the Tar Heels led 15-10.
- Wake responded with a quick pair of points once action resumed.
A service ace bumped North Carolina's lead to 19-15.
- Three unanswered points ensued for the host, leading to a Deacon timeout.
Reaching set point on a middle kill, North Carolina won the first frame on a 25-19 clip.
- Crawford collected five digs in the opening set.
Points were traded through set two's first six rallies, even at 3 all.
An attacking error by the Tar Heels allowed Wake to tie the board before Whitekettle followed with another kill immediately afterwards.
Back-and-forth play continued, as a Kelis Hawkins middle kill again tied things (12-12).
North Carolina was successful on a hit right before the media break took place, leading 15-14.
Whitekettle stayed hot during the stretch, delivering kill after kill.
Lagida skied for back-to-back punches and Crawford chipped in, as Wake's hitters steadied the aggressive tempo.
A kill and ace by the Tar Heels gave them a 23-21 advantage late in the second.
North Carolina was able to take a 2-0 lead in the match after winning set two, 25-22.
- Whitekettle had nine kills on .500 hitting at the time.
Wake took a 4-1 lead to open set three after Whitekettle and Crawford produced two kills and an ace, respectively.
A 5-1 boost by North Carolina put the team in front, 9-8.
Olivia Fish checked in for the Deacs and immediately threw down a ball.
After the Tar Heels scored twice, Wake called for a timeout, trailing 14-12.
North Carolina extended its lead to 18-13 before Lagida clocked a kill from the right side.
The Tar Heels were able to take seven of the final 11 possessions en route to securing set three, 25-17, and the match victory.
Wake Forest fell, 3-0.

Additional Notes

Wake Forest and North Carolina faced each other on Friday for the 73rd time in the all-time series.
- The series is the second longest within the Deacs' program history.
Through her last 19 sets, Emma Farrell sits at 92 digs (4.84 per set).
Ryleigh Whitekettle reached over 600 career kills during the match.
- The right-side hitter has recorded 10-plus kills in seven separate showings this fall.

From Coach Hulsmeyer
"North Carolina played a very balanced match and both sides put up a fight from first serve," said head coach Jeff Hulsmeyer. "We again showed to be capable in many areas, especially defensively. Emma (Farrell) played very well on that end. Ryleigh Whitekettle did well for us offensively, hitting .500. The ACC is going to bring nightly challenges like this – Duke will be no different on Sunday. We need to get ready for our next step of preparation."

Up Next
The Deacs head to Durham on Sunday (Sept. 28) to face the Duke Blue Devils in a 1 p.m. matchup. The contest will stream on ACC Network Extra.

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Team Stats

Ryleigh Whitekettle

Paige Crawford

Patrycja Lagida

Kelis Hawkins

Players Mentioned

Rian Baker

Becca Bellows

Paige Crawford

Emma Farrell

Olivia Fish

Kelis Hawkins

Patrycja Lagida

Ryleigh Whitekettle

Sanaa Williams

Wake Forest Athletics