Demon Deacons Defend Home Court in Five-Set Win Over UCF

Saturday, September 5

Winston-Salem, N.C.

5:30 p.m.

Wake Forest University

2-2,0-0ACC

Central Florida

4-1,0-0Big 12

Team	1	2	3	4	5	Final F
UCF	25	16	18	25	11	2
Wake Forest	15	25	25	14	15	3

Demon Deacons Defend Home Court in Five-Set Win Over UCF

9/5/2026 9:01:00 PM | Women's Volleyball

Box Score

Three Deacs ended the match with double-digit kills, including 15 by senior Patrycja Lagida.

By: KJ Smith

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – Continuing a seven-match homestand, the Wake Forest volleyball team (2-2, 0-0 ACC) secured its first home win of the season as it defeated UCF (4-1, 0-0 ACC) in a five-set thriller, 3-2, on Saturday night at Varsity Arena.

Senior Patrycja Lagida led the Demon Deacons once again as she recorded a double-double for the third consecutive match. Lagida tallied 15 kills and 15 digs while recording a .429 kill percentage.

The Chotomow, Poland, native also matched her career-best mark with four total blocks, including a career-high three solo blocks.

Lagida is currently on an impressive run, having totaled 45 kills and 42 digs over her last three matches.

Meanwhile, sophomore Amina N'Diaye and redshirt junior Catherine Burke joined Lagida with double-digit kills on Saturday. Burke surpassed her career-high with 10 kills to go along with four blocks, while N'Diaye matched her career mark with 12 kills.

Additionally, graduate student Ryleigh Whitekettle notched nine kills and four blocks, including a solo effort that secured the win for the Deacs.

In her first career start, freshman Emma Keeping recorded a team-high 45 assists. With her performance, the Imlay City, Mich., native surpassed the 100-assist mark for the season and is now averaging 6.21 assists per set.

Elsewhere, junior Dhru Lalaji provided a major spark off the bench as she registered a career-high five service aces.

How It Happened

Senior outside hitter Patrycja Lagida recorded the Deacs' first point of the match off an assist by freshman Emma Keeping.
After the Knights took a four-point lead, Wake Forest pulled within two on a kill by Amina N'Diaye and a set error.
Lagida notched three kills in a row for the Deacs to make it 20-12.
UCF took the first set, 25-15.
Junior Dhru Lalaji began the second set with a service ace before Lagida added her sixth kill of the match on the next play.
The Demon Deacons and the Knights traded points before Ryleigh Whitekettle and Catherine Burke logged back-to-back kills to push the lead to 11-7 and force a UCF timeout.
- Burke and Lagida combined on a block before Lalaji added her second service ace of the match to extend the Wake Forest run coming out of the timeout.
Wake Forest went on a 5-1 swing to push its advantage to nine points, highlighted by a service ace from Whitekettle.
Despite a late rally from the Knights, the Demon Deacons rattled off the final four points to claim the second set, 25-16.
- Lalaji recorded her third and fourth service aces to close out the set.
The Deacs and Knights traded possessions during the early stages of the third set.
N'Diaye capped off a 5-0 run by the Demon Deacons with another kill, making it 11-6.
Burke logged back-to-back kills to push the lead to five points.
Lagida notched a kill and an ace to extend the Wake Forest lead to 18-12.
Whitekettle closed out the third set with her fourth kill of the set, giving Wake Forest the set by a score of 25-18.
The Demon Deacons took an early lead in the fourth set following multiple UCF errors.
Following a run by the Knights, the Deacs went on a four-point swing to tie the set at 8-8.
Burke logged a kill to end a 9-2 run by UCF.
The Knights won the fourth set, 25-14.
Wake Forest opened the final set on a 6-0 run.
- Lalaji notched her fifth ace of the match while Lagida added a kill and a block during the run.
Lagida added her second kill of the set to make it 8-2.
N'Diaye recorded back-to-back kills to push the advantage to six points.
Whitkettle blocked a UCF attack at the net to win the final set by a score of 15-10 and give Wake Forest the 3-2 win.

Standout Stats

Freshman Emma Keeping recorded a team-high 45 assists in her first career start for the Demon Deacons.
- With her performance, Keeping surpassed the 100-assist mark for the season.
  - The Imlay City, Mich., native is currently averaging 6.21 assists per set.
Senior Patrycja Lagida notched her third consecutive double-double, totaling 15 kills and 15 digs against UCF.
- Over the last three matches, Lagida has tallied 45 kills and 42 digs.
Three other Deacs ended the match with nine or more kills against the Knights.
- Amina N'Diaye - 12 kills
- Catherine Burke - 10 kills
- Ryleigh Whitekettle - 9 kills
Junior Dhru Lalaji logged a career-high five service aces.

Additional Notes

The Demon Deacons remained undefeated against UCF, improving their all-time record to 3-0.
- Saturday's match marked the first meeting between the two schools since the 2023 season.
Since the start of the 2019 campaign, the Deacs have recorded a 52-18 record versus non-conference opponents.
- Wake Forest currently holds a 2-2 record in nonconference matchups this season.

From Coach Hulsmeyer
"I thought we really showed our resilience today. We kept fighting and coming back from adverse situations. After settling in that first set, I thought we really battled the rest of the match. I can't say enough about our team. Amina N'Diaye had a great game. She really bounced back from a tough day yesterday. Ryleigh Whitekettle stepped up. Our middles and our blockers were a really big part of our win. Dhru Lalaji also provided a lot of pressure from the service line. She did a wonderful job today. Overall, a really good win."

Up Next
The Demon Deacons close out the Wake Forest Invitational with a matchup against Georgetown on Sunday at 2 p.m. at Varsity Arena.

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

Follow the Deacs
Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | GoDeacs.com