Wake Forest Bounces Back in the Navy Invitational
This past weekend, the Wake Forest Volleyball team had itself a full slate of games in the Navy Invitational. Seeking their first win of the season, the Demon Deacons came in with three strong efforts in hopes of evening out this season’s record. Here is a breakdown of the three matches played by the Deacs against George Mason, Air Force, and Navy.
Wake Forest handled business against the Patriots. After dropping the first set, the Demon Deacons took complete control of the match. Tacking a total of 12 aces, the Deacs showcased their serving ability. While Rian Baker, the senior veteran, led the Deacs with 4 of those aces, she was also one of six players to record an ace that game. Continuing the overall dominance for the Deacs, three players, Olivia Murphy (17), Olivia (14), and Ryleigh Whitekettle (10), recorded double-digit kills. This moved the Deacs to three straight occurrences of at least three Deacs totalling double-digit kills in a single game.
This match did not go in the Demon Deacon’s favor. After holding the game up a point at 16-15, Wake let the lead slip with six straight unanswered points. Air Force ran away from the Deacs after that, resulting in a 25-18 final first set.
The rest of the sets went just about the same way; the Deacs started strong but could not hold on to the lead. Ultimately, Air Force closed the game with a 3-0 win over Wake Forest.
To close out the trip in Annapolis, Wake Forest played against the home team, Navy. To say the Deacs looked strong in this game would be an understatement. Senior Paige Crawford displayed utter dominance, racking in 14 kills. Junior Patrycja Lagida also totalled nine kills and five digs. The teamwork and defense from this match give hope to the team entering ACC play at the end of the month.
Additionally, Wake traveled to Tuscaloosa to play Alabama in the ACC/SEC showdown.
Though the score did not favor the Deacs at the end, there was much to learn from the ACC/SEC Showdown. Some major milestones were hit in this game. Senior Emma Farrell recorded her 1,500th dig of her career. Additionally, Paige Crawford racked up 21 kills. The transfer Patrycja Lagida also recorded his first double-double, with 11 kills and 14 digs, of her Demon Deacon career.
What’s Next?
Wake Forest's first home match vs. Davidson is tonight at 7 p.m. ET. Additionally, the Deacs will host Mayland on Sunday at 1 p.m. ET
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Keylor is a sophomore at Wake Forest University. He is studying finance and statistics, yet he still has a keen interest in Demon Deacons sports. Growing up in the college town of Knoxville, Tennessee, Keylor found himself drawn to a variety of athletics. He channeled that passion into his high school athletic program, announcing, broadcasting, and interviewing every sport. As a writer for Wake Forest Demon Deacon On SI, Keylor will cover football, basketball, and baseball, but he is also looking forward to covering volleyball.
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