Wake Forest (9-4, 1-1 ACC) opened Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) play on Friday night with a match against the Virginia Cavaliers (11-2, 1-1 ACC). The energy inside Winston-Salem’s Varsity Arena was yet again electric, with a record-setting crowd of 847 fans packing the stands.
The Demon Deacons came out firing in the first set, cruising to a 25-13 set victory. Wake Forest held a 17-13 advantage and put the Cavaliers to bed after an eight-point run. Dior Charles and Laila Ricks had their fingerprints all over the first set, totaling five kills and seven blocks.
Set two was extremely dramatic, with 10 ties and no lead larger than three points. In stark contrast to the first set that featured nine Wake Forest blocks, set two was deprived of any — an early symptom of trouble to follow.
Despite the shift, the Demon Deacons held on to earn a 26-24 set victory, setting them up for a potential clean sweep for the match. This, however, is where things began to slip for the Demon Deacons.
Set three was another battle, where fans witnessed six thrilling lead changes and a late-set surge from the Demon Deacons. Despite great efforts from Ricks and Paige Crawford, with five and four kills, respectively, Wake Forest’s defense began to falter. Virginia exploited these cracks, pushing the Demon Deacons out of rhythm and claiming a tight 25-23 victory.
Set three proved to be the turning point, as Virginia seized full control of the match. With Wake Forest’s momentum fading, the Cavaliers dominated sets four and five, outscoring the Demon Deacons 40-23 (25-16; 15-7) to complete their comeback victory (3-2).
Overall, libero Emma Farrell greatly helped Wake Forest stay competitive in the latter sets by recording 26 digs — a season-high. Crawford led all athletes with 15 kills while Rian Baker and Becca Bellows both contributed 24 assists.
The Demon Deacons arguably played their best volleyball early, but lost their rhythm in the later sets. However, they still had a chance to save the weekend against the Virginia Tech Hokies on Sunday afternoon.
The Demon Deacons were humming in set one against the Hokies, as they got out to a 9-0 start and never led by less than seven points. Their 25-14 set domination was sparked by two early service aces from Bellows. Bellows would end the match contributing half of Wake Forest’s eight service aces.
The Hokies mimicked Wake Forest’s first-set execution and jumped out to a 6-0 lead to start the second set. Wake Forest followed with a five-point run, but that wasn’t enough to turn the tables, as Virginia Tech would never relinquish their lead and win the set 25-22.
From there, though, it was all Wake Forest. Through sets three and four they trailed just one time and outscored Virginia Tech 50-32 (25-15; 25-17). Mirroring their set one performance, the Demon Deacons charged to a 9-0 lead in the fourth and final set and never looked back.
Crawford recorded 13 kills, making this her fifth-straight match leading Wake Forest in successful attacks. Redshirt sophomore Olivia Murphy had an ultra-efficient outing, posting a 46.2% hitting percentage on her eight kills. Farrell continued her backbone defense, making Sunday her third-consecutive match having more than 20 digs.
After splitting their ACC home opener, the Demon Deacons head west, looking to build momentum against California and Stanford before returning to Winston-Salem for a crucial showdown with Duke on Oct. 11. As ACC play heats up, Wake Forest is set to face tougher competition, giving us a clearer picture of where they truly stand in the conference.
