Deacs Head to California to Face No. 16 Stanford and Cal

Friday, October 16

Stanford, Calif.

10 p.m.

Wake Forest University

Stanford

Deacs Head to California to Face No. 16 Stanford and Cal

10/15/2026 4:15:00 PM | Women's Volleyball

Wake Forest opens its road trip against the Cardinal on Friday, Oct. 16, at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT, before facing the Golden Bears on Sunday, Oct. 18, at 4 p.m. ET/1 p.m. PT.

By: KJ Smith

STANFORD, Calif. – Following a weekend in which it earned its first ACC victories of the season, the Wake Forest volleyball team looks to carry its momentum this weekend as it travels to California to face No. 16 Stanford and Cal.

The Demon Deacons open their road trip to the Golden State with a matchup against the Cardinal on Friday, Oct. 16, at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT at Maples Pavilion. The Deacs will then face the Golden Bears on Sunday, Oct. 18, at 4 p.m. ET/1 p.m. PT at Haas Pavilion.

Both matches will be streamed live on ACC Network Extra.

The Matches
Friday, Oct. 16
Wake Forest (8-9, 2-4 ACC) at No. 16 Stanford (10-6, 3-3 ACC) - 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT
Maples Pavilion - Stanford, Calif.

Sunday, Oct. 18
Wake Forest at Cal (13-4, 3-3 ACC) - 4 p.m. ET/1 p.m. PT
Haas Pavilion - Berkeley, Calif.

Last Time Out

The Deacs went undefeated at Varsity Arena last weekend as they defeated both Boston College and Syracuse.
- Head coach Jeff Hulsmeyer earned his 300th career win as a collegiate head coach as the Demon Deacons earned their first ACC victory of the season on Friday against the Eagles.
  - Graduate student Ryleigh Whitekettle led the Deacs with 18 kills, while freshman Lyla Stewart continued her incredible freshman campaign with a 15-kill, 11-dig double-double.
- The Deacs concluded their homestand with a sweep over the Orange on Sunday in their annual Heather Kahl Holmes Pink Match.
  - The Demon Deacons recorded a season-best .469 hitting percentage against the Orange, their highest mark since hitting .513 in their season opener against UNCW in 2021.

Stirring the Stew
Freshman Lyla Stewart has excelled for the Demon Deacons in her freshman campaign, totaling 191 kills and 139 digs, both of which rank second on the team this season. Stewart is also tied for the team lead with 13 service aces.

The Powell, Ohio, native has caught fire as of late, recording double-digit kills in seven of her last 10 matches, totaling 148 kills during that span. Stewart has also logged five double-doubles this season, including a 15-kill, 11-dig effort against Boston College.

Can You Dig It?
Senior libero Andrea Roman has been one of the top defensive players in the ACC this season. Roman, who ranked second in the country in digs last season, has tallied 268 digs thus far, which leads the ACC. Additionally, the Humacao, Puerto Rico, native currently sits sixth in the conference with 3.67 digs per set.

ACC Total Digs Leaders

Rank	Name	School	Total Digs
1.	Andrea Roman	Wake Forest	268
2.	Ivy Cooper	Virginia Tech	261
3.	Payton Petersen	Louisville	249
4.	Maya Evens	Notre Dame	239
5.	Zuzanna Maciejewicz	NC State	237

Series History
Versus Stanford

Series: Stanford leads, 2-0
Last Meeting: Nov. 2, 2025
Result: L, 0-3

Versus Cal

Series: Wake Forest leads, 2-0
Last Meeting: Oct. 31, 2025
Result: W, 3-0

Scouting the Cardinal

Stanford currently sits at 10-6 overall and 3-3 in the ACC this season.
- The Cardinal recently split their matches against Notre Dame and No. 3 Louisville, defeating the Fighting Irish, 3-1, before being swept by the Cardinals.
Three Stanford players have tallied over 150 kills this season, with senior Jordyn Harvey leading the team with 177 kills.
- Fellow senior Julia Bylashov sits right behind with 173 kills, while junior Lizzy Andrew has added 159 kills.
Sophomore Logan Parks has been a key leader for the Cardinal offense with a team-high 534 assists.
- Parks is currently averaging 10.27 assists per set, which ranks fifth in the ACC.
Sophomore Spencer Etzler sits fourth in the conference with an average of 3.95 digs per set.
- Etzler has also been a threat on the service line throughout the season, totaling 20 service aces.

Scouting the Golden Bears

Cal enters the weekend with a 13-4 overall record and a 3-3 record in conference play.
- The Golden Bears opened last weekend with a 1-3 loss to No. 3 Louisville before bouncing back to sweep Notre Dame.
Freshman Abby Zimmerman leads the Golden Bears offensively, totaling 212 kills this season.
- Zimmerman has also logged 32 service aces and is averaging 0.46 aces per set, the fifth-best mark in the ACC.
Senior Sawyer Thomsen has added 162 kills while maintaining a .413 hitting percentage, which ranks third in the conference.

Up Next
The Deacs will face Big Four rival NC State twice in a three-day span next weekend. The Demon Deacons will travel to Raleigh to face the Wolfpack on Friday, Oct. 23, at 6 p.m., before returning to Varsity Arena on Sunday, Oct. 25, at 1 p.m.

Admission is free for all spectators for Sunday's match, and both matches will be streamed live on ACC Network Extra.