Demon Deacons Volleyball Unveils Spring 2026 Schedule

The Deacons’ game against the Davidson Wildcats on Friday, September 12, 2025 at Reynolds Gymnasium in Winston-Salem, NC / Wake Forest Athletics

Photo by: BryceMitchell

Demon Deacons Volleyball Unveils Spring 2026 Schedule

2/11/2026 10:27:00 AM | Women's Volleyball

By: Keion Robinson

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – Wake Forest volleyball and head coach Jeff Hulsmeyer released details of the program's spring 2026 schedule on Wednesday. The Demon Deacons are set to partake in four total events through the next few months, including two appearances on their home floor inside Varsity Arena.

Wake Forest will open its spring slate at home on Feb. 23, bringing in North Carolina A&T. The Deacs and Aggies matched up this past fall season, resulting in 3-0 sweep for Wake Forest (Sept. 18).

On March 21, the Demon Deacons will hold competition in a hosted invitational. Weeks later, the team will make an in-state trip to Morrisville for participation in the Triangle Volleyball Club Invite. Scheduled matchups against opposing teams for both invitationals will be finalized soon.

The final outing of Wake Forest's spring schedule will see the Deacs travel to the University of South Carolina for a weekend match versus the Gamecocks. The two sides last met in Columbia on Sept. 15, 2024, with Wake Forest earning a 3-1 victory in the Carolina Volleyball Center.

Start times for the Deacs' spring matches will be determined at a later date.

"Spring for us is mostly about individual improvement, and I'm excited to see how we progress through the spring," said Coach Hulsmeyer. "It's a great opportunity to play early here at home against North Carolina A&T, and then to see how far we can get by April 18 against South Carolina. We've got some exciting new players and I'm so grateful to have this opportunity to work with them right away this semester. These competitions will show how they are progressing and integrating into our system."

Date	Opponent/Event	Location
Monday, Feb. 23	North Carolina A&T	Winston-Salem, N.C.
Saturday, March 21	Wake Forest Invitational	Winston-Salem, N.C.
Saturday, April 11	Triangle Volleyball Club Invite	Morrisville, N.C.
Saturday, April 18	at South Carolina	Columbia, S.C.

*Home matches in BOLD

Spring Deacs
Following the departure of an experienced senior class – Rian Baker, Paige Crawford, Emma Farrell and Olivia Murphy – Wake Forest now has 10 returners on its spring roster. A trio of Patrycja Lagida, Ryleigh Whitekettle and Sanaa Williams are coming off standout first seasons with the Deacs, each ranking as top-five individuals on the roster in multiple statistical categories. Becca Bellows led the team in assists as a sophomore this past fall while Kelis Hawkins and Sadie Poeck were some of the top defenders on the team in areas of blocking.

Four newcomers have joined the program for this spring semester –Amina N'Diaye, Emma Keeping, Andrea Roman and Lyla Stewart. Keeping and Stewart officially inked with the Deacs in November as two members of the 2026 recruiting class. Roman, the reigning Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) Defensive Player of the Year, was Wake Forest's second transfer of the winter offseason before N'Diaye signed shortly after the New Year. Each of the new arrivals have one or more years of eligibility for the 2026 fall season and beyond. Wake Forest's three other newcomers – Catherine Burke, Ava Roddey and Mattea Saunders – will arrive later this summer prior to the start of the 2026-27 school year.

Fall 2025 Highlights

The Demon Deacons totaled 15 season victories in year one of the Jeff Hulsmeyer era.
Wake Forest finished with nine Atlantic Coast Conference wins for the regular season - its most since the 2010 campaign.
- In three of the last four years, the team has won eight or more conference matches.
Within the ACC standings, Wake Forest ranked ninth in the league by the season's conclusion.
- The Deacs were picked to finish 15th in the 2025 ACC Preseason Poll.
During a late-season stretch from Nov. 14-21, the Deacs jumped on a three-match win streak. notching four-set road wins apiece at Syracuse (Nov. 14), Boston College (Nov. 16) and Virginia Tech (21). The team took three straight road contests for the first time since the 2010 campaign, which happened during a mid-September stretch:
- At Charlotte (9/21/10) – W, 3-0
- At Clemson (9/24/10) – W, 3-0
- At Georgia Tech (9/26/10) – W, 3-0
Wake Forest finished with a 3-2 record versus Big Four foes, earning two wins over Duke and one against NC State.
- The team's season sweep over Duke was its first since 2012.
  - Of note, Wake Forest defeated Duke inside Cameron Indoor Stadium on Sept. 28 for the first time since Oct. 16, 2012.
Senior libero Emma Farrell led the conference in digs-per-set average for the second time in her career, posting a 4.10 clip.
- Farrell also led the league in the same area as a freshman in 2022 (4.41/set).
- Additionally, two other Deacs landed spots in ACC top-10 statistical categories for conference play:
  - Patrycja Lagida – 6th in Service Aces (0.38/set)
  - Sanaa Williams – 7th in Hitting Percentage (.347)
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

Several milestones were reached by roster members throughout the fall:
- Emma Farrell – 1,500 Career Digs (Sept. 10 at Alabama)
- Becca Bellows – 1,000 Career Digs (Nov. 9 vs. Louisville)
- Rian Baker – 2,500 Career Assists (Nov. 14 at Syracuse)
A senior group of Rian Baker, Paige Crawford, Emma Farrell and Olivia Murphy finished their collegiate careers as Demon Deacons this fall. The standout class combined for 62 wins and 1,495 sets played. Baker, Crawford and Farrell etched their names within the program's career records:
- Rian Baker – 7th in Career Assists (2,609) and 6th in Career Service Aces (114)
- Paige Crawford – 5th in both Career Kills (1,400) and Career Service Aces (119)
- Emma Farrell – 3rd in Career Digs (1,882)
On its home floor this fall, Wake Forest finished with an 8-5 record – its most wins inside Varsity Arena since 2022.