Demon Deacons Drop Hard-Fought Battle Against No. 2 Pitt

Friday, October 30

Winston-Salem, N.C.

6:30 p.m.

Wake Forest University

9-13,3-8ACC

Pitt

20-1,10-1ACC

Team	1	2	3	4	Final F
Pittsburgh	25	23	25	25	3
Wake Forest	21	25	19	19	1

PDF Box Score

10/30/2026 9:55:00 PM | Women's Volleyball

Box Score

Four Deacs finished the match with 10 or more kills against the Panthers.

By: KJ Smith

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – The Wake Forest volleyball team (9-13, 3-8 ACC) dropped a hard-fought battle to No. 2 Pitt (20-1, 10-1 ACC) by a final score of 3-1 on Friday night at Varsity Arena.

Despite the loss, the Demon Deacons became the first team to win a set against the Panthers since Oct. 7, taking the second set by a score of 25-23 to snap Pitt's streak of five straight sweeps. Overall, only two teams have claimed a set against the Panthers in conference play.

This also marked the first time the Deacs took a set off of Pitt since the Demon Deacons swept the Panthers on Oct. 15, 2021.

The Deacs were led by a balanced offensive attack, with four Demon Deacons finishing with 10 or more kills.

Sophomore Amina N'Diaye led the Deacs with 13 kills, her most in a conference match this season. N'Diaye also added five digs and a block on Friday.

Freshman Lyla Stewart continued her stellar rookie season, logging 12 kills. Stewart also tallied two blocks and three assists against Pitt.

With her performance, the Powell, Ohio, native has recorded double-digit kills in six of the last seven matches, totaling 88 kills during that span.

Sophomore Sadie Poeck recorded double-digit kills for the first time this season, logging a season-high 11 kills and a block while maintaining a .409 hitting percentage. Meanwhile, graduate student Ryleigh Whitekettle totaled 10 kills and a pair of blocks.

Elsewhere, the setter duo of junior Becca Bellows and freshman Emma Keeping both recorded 22 assists.

Redshirt senior Sanaa Williams led the way defensively, totaling a team-high eight blocks to go along with six kills and a dig. Meanwhile, senior Andrea Roman added nine digs, two assists and two service aces.

How It Happened

The Demon Deacons struck first in the opening set with a service ace by freshman Mattea Saunders.
Sophomore Sadie Poeck gave the Deacs the lead back with a kill.
Wake Forest scored three straight points to take a 6-4 lead.
- Freshman Lyla Stewart opened the run with her first kill of the match, tying the set at 4-4.
- Sophomore Amina N'Diaye recorded a kill to push the Deacs ahead.
- The Demon Deacons pushed their lead to two following a Pitt error.
The two sides traded points before the Deacs reclaimed a two-point lead on a kill by Poeck and a block from redshirt senior Sanaa Williams and redshirt junior Catherine Burke.
Wake Forest took a 15-13 lead heading into the technical timeout following a kill by Poeck.
- The Zionsville, Ind., native added another kill to end a 4-0 run by the Panthers.
Stewart notched another kill to make it 18-17.
Graduate student Ryleigh Whitekettle notched her third kill of the set to cut the deficit to two.
The Deacs capitalized on a service error and a kill by N'Diaye to make it 22-21.
Pitt won the first set, 25-22.
Williams opened the second set with a kill.
After the two sides traded points, the Demon Deacons went on a three-point swing to take a 6-4 lead.
- N'Diaye and Williams recorded back-to-back kills to push the Demon Deacons ahead.
- Senior Andrea Roman extended the lead to two on a service ace.
The Demon Deacons pushed the lead to three after Williams and N'Diaye combined on a block.
Williams and Stewart rattled off back-to-back kills to make it 10-6.
After Pitt tied the set at 11-11, the Deacs responded with kills from Poeck and sophomore Kelis Hawkins to reclaim a two-point advantage.
N'Diaye added another kill as Wake Forest took a 15-13 lead heading into the technical timeout.
The Panthers tied the set once again before the Demon Deacons went on a 3-0 run to make it 18-15.
- N'Diaye and Williams opened the run with back-to-back kills.
- Freshman Emma Keeping ended the three-point swing with a service ace.
The two sides continued to battle down the stretch before Wake Forest closed out the set with a 3-1 run, winning 25-23.
- Whitekettle hammered home a kill to end the set.
Poeck continued her hot start to the match with another kill to open the third set.
After a short run by the Panthers, N'Diaye recorded a kill to cut the deficit to one.
The two sides traded points before Whitekettle and Williams blocked a Pitt attack to make it 17-15.
Stewart recorded her 10th kill of the match to cut the deficit to five.
The Panthers won the third set, 25-19.
Stewart opened the fourth set with another kill.
Freshman Camille McCoy notched a solo block to give Wake Forest an early 4-2 lead.
Whitekettle and N'Diaye pushed the lead to three with back-to-back kills.
The Panthers cut the lead to one before N'Diaye recorded her 11th kill of the match.
- Stewart and Williams combined on a block on the next rally to make it 9-6.
After the two sides traded points, Williams tallied a solo block to give Wake Forest a 14-13 lead.
- The Nashville, Tenn., native combined with Whitekettle on another block moments later, giving the Deacs a one-point lead heading into the technical timeout.
Stewart ended a 9-2 run by the Panthers with a kill.
Pitt won the fourth set, 25-19.

Standout Stats

The Demon Deacons became the first team to take a set against the Panthers since Oct. 7, snapping Pitt's streak of five straight sweeps.
- Only two teams have won a set against the Panthers in conference play this season.
- Additionally, this marked the first time the Deacs took a set off of Pitt since the Demon Deacons swept the Panthers on Oct. 15, 2021.
Four Deacs finished the match with double-digit kills.
- Amina N'Diaye: 13 kills
- Lyla Stewart: 12 kills
- Sadie Poeck: 11 kills
- Ryleigh Whitekettle: 10 kills

From Coach Hulsmeyer
"I thought we did a good job today. We came in with a really good game plan. Appreciate the coaches for putting that together. We executed it well, but we have to be able to continue to do that over time because teams are going to adjust. I really love the effort that we had tonight. Our consistency continues to get better. That's what we're striving for when we come back on Sunday."

Up Next
The Demon Deacons conclude their homestand with another top-five matchup, taking on the Mustangs in the annual We Are Wake Mental Health Awareness Match on Sunday, Nov. 1, at 1 p.m.

Admission is free for all spectators, and the match will be streamed live on ACC Network Extra.