Wake Forest to Host Big Four Rivals Duke and No. 24 North Carolina to Open ACC Play

Friday, September 25

Winston-Salem, N.C.

6:30 p.m.

Wake Forest University

Duke

Wake Forest to Host Big Four Rivals Duke and No. 24 North Carolina to Open ACC Play

9/24/2026 1:50:00 PM | Women's Volleyball

The Demon Deacons will face the Blue Devils on Friday, Sept. 25, at 6:30 p.m., before welcoming the Tar Heels on Sunday, Sept. 27, at 4 p.m.

By: KJ Smith

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – The Wake Forest volleyball team is set to open its ACC slate this weekend as it hosts Big Four rivals Duke and No. 24 North Carolina at Varsity Arena.

The Demon Deacons open the weekend against the Blue Devils on Friday, Sept. 25, at 6:30 p.m. Live stats will be available here, and the match will be streamed live on ACC Network Extra.

The Deacs will conclude their first weekend of conference play against the Tar Heels on Sunday, Sept. 27, at 4 p.m. Live stats will be available here, and the match will be broadcast nationally on ACC Network.

The Matches
Friday, Sept. 25
Wake Forest (6-5, 0-0 ACC) vs. Duke (8-2, 0-0 ACC)
Varsity Arena - 6:30 p.m.

Sunday, Sept. 27
Wake Forest vs. No. 24 North Carolina (5-3, 0-0 ACC)
Varsity Arena - 4 p.m.

Accessibility Information
Wake Forest Athletics strives to provide content at all home events, on social media and GoDeacs.com that is accessible to all fans. As part of its continued effort to improve accessibility of the technology and digital content at volleyball home matches this fall, fans can access closed captions here for the public address announcer and in-venue content.

Wake Forest Athletics is always open to learning about new ideas and ways we can improve. Please report accessibility challenges, identify content you find inaccessible, or give us general feedback at maddenr@wfu.edu.

Fan Information
There will continue to be free general admission seating for all home volleyball matches. The team plays each home contest in Varsity Arena, located on the third level of Reynolds Gymnasium (21 Wingate Road, Winston-Salem, N.C. 27109).

Parking is encouraged in lots J, U and W1. A complete parking map of campus is here.

Weekend Promotions
Friday's match against the Blue Devils will be the first-ever Club Varsity match and will be presented by Truist. Fans will receive a free glow in the dark foam stick to be used during select moments throughout the match. Strobe lights will be in effect for those sensitive to flashing lights.

Meanwhile, Sunday's match will serve as the annual Faculty and Staff Appreciation match. Select faculty and staff will be recognized prior to first serve against the Tar Heels.

Last Time Out

Wake Forest closed out its nonconference slate with a pair of wins against NC A&T and Wofford.
- The Demon Deacons opened their week with a dominant 3-0 sweep over the Aggies on Thursday evening.
- The Deacs concluded nonconference play with a 3-2 neutral-site win against Wofford on Friday afternoon, pushing their winning streak to four matches.
  - Freshman Lyla Stewart recorded her second career double-double as she finished with 18 kills and 15 digs.

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 201 digs thus far, which leads the ACC. Additionally, the Humacao, Puerto Rico, native currently sits fourth in the conference with 4.19 digs per set.

Hammering It Home
Graduate student outside hitter Ryleigh Whitekettle has been on a stellar run to open the season, recording a team-high 133 kills (2.77/set) this season. The Topsail Beach, N.C., native has recorded double-digit kills seven times this season, including a season-high 19 kills against ETSU.

Freshman Phenoms
Multiple freshmen played pivotal roles for the Deacs during the nonconference slate.

Outside hitter Lyla Stewart has been a force offensively as she ranks second on the team with 99 kills. Stewart is also leading the Demon Deacons with 2.83 kills per set. Additionally, the Powell, Ohio, native has added 75 digs, nine blocks and nine service aces on the season.

Setters Emma Keeping and Ava Roddey have helped run the Wake Forest offense, as Keeping has tallied a team-high 317 assists while Roddey has notched 103 assists. Keeping has also added 77 digs, 15 kills, eight service aces and a pair of blocks in her debut season.

Five-Set Specialists
Five of the Demon Deacons' six wins this season have come in five-set matches. Overall, the Deacs sit at 5-1 in five-set matches this season, including three wins during their current four-match win streak.

Series History
Versus Duke

Series: Duke leads, 61-18
Last Meeting: Nov. 26, 2025
Result: W, 3-0

Versus North Carolina

Series: North Carolina leads, 56-17
Last Meeting: Sept. 26, 2025
Result: L, 0-3

Scouting the Blue Devils

Duke concluded nonconference play with an 8-2 record.
The Blue Devils lead the ACC with 13.53 assists per set.
- Redshirt junior setter Nikki Quinn has totaled 408 assists and is averaging 11.33 assists per set, which tops the conference and ranks sixth nationally.
Duke also leads the conference in service aces, averaging 2.33 aces per set.
- Sophomore outside hitter Ashby Zubchevich leads the ACC with 0.65 aces per set, having tallied 22 service aces over the first 10 matches.
The Blue Devils average 14.42 kills per set, which ranks second in the ACC.
- Graduate student outside hitter Nataly Moravec leads the team with 139 kills (4.34 per set), while Zubchevich sits just behind with 136 kills this season.

Scouting the Tar Heels

North Carolina enters its first weekend of conference play with a 5-3 record.
Four Tar Heels have recorded more than 50 kills this season, led by senior outside hitter Safi Hampton's 86 kills.
- Graduate student outside hitter Chelsea Thorpe has added 78 kills.
- Sophomore outside hitter Bridget Malone has logged 68 kills, while junior outside hitter Laynie Smith has tallied 51 kills.
Junior middle blocker Jackie Taylor has averaged 1.34 blocks per set this season, which ranks ninth in the ACC.
Senior setter Zoe Behrendt leads the Tar Heels with 158 assists and is averaging 5.45 assists per set.

Up Next
The Demon Deacons are set for their first ACC road matches of the season as they face Miami on Friday, Oct. 2, before taking on Florida State on Sunday, Oct. 4.