Sports > October 19, 2005

By Ryan Durham

Assistant Sports Editor

The volleyball team took a long road trip Oct. 14-Oct. 16, traveling all the way to Boston for ACC play. The team started off their weekend Oct. 14 in College Park, Md. facing the Maryland Terrapins.

The Terps jumped out to a quick five-point lead in the first game of the match, but Wake Forest was able to rally at the 15-19 mark to bring the game within a point.

The Deacs kept it close for the rest of the game but were unable to win, 30-28.

Game two took a similar tone. The game was close throughout, but this time Wake Forest managed to win, by the same margin as the last game, 30-28.

The third game was very close until the teams tied at the 17-17 mark, then the Terps went on two runs, 5-0 and 4-0, to win the game 30-21.

Maryland held the lead for much of game four, until the Deacs managed to tie the game up at the 25-25 mark. A 4-0 run by Wake Forest won the game 30-26 and sent the match into a fifth game.

The Deacs were unable to win the fifth game after a 5-0 run that won the Terrapins the game by a score of 15-10, and the match 3-2.

Redshirt freshman middle blocker Natalie Mullikin had 16 kills on the match and no attack errors. Senior middle blocker Christy Williams had the team high 18 kills and only two attack errors in the match.

Redshirt freshman outside hitter Jessica Furlong rounded out the Deacon attack with 16 kills of her own. Junior defensive specialist Natasha Schaefer led the team with 20 digs.

“We came out really strong against a good team and we kept fighting throughout the match,” Mullikin said.

The other stint of their road trip Oct. 16 took the Deacs to Boston to face the Boston College Golden Eagles.

Wake Forest got out to a slow start in the first game of the match.

The Deacs were down by three early but fought their way back to knot the scoreboard at 9-9. After tying, Wake Forest went on a 4-0 run and never looked back. The Eagles got within one point but were never able to regain the lead, losing 30-25.

Game two went point-for-point for the major portion of the match, but a three-point run by Wake Forest at the 21-20 mark gave them the edge they needed to win the match 30-27.

The third game, which proved to be the final of the match, went much the same as game two. The Deacs and Eagles kept the score close for most of the game, but a four-point run at the 23-22 mark by Wake Forest put them up enough to hold off a late rally by Boston College. The Deacs won the game 30-28 and the match 3-0.

Furlong led the Deacon attack with 17 kills in the match. Junior outside hitter Lauren Peterson was the only other player on the team with double-digit kills tallying 13.

“We took a huge step forward and got a lot of confidence back, which allowed us to play aggressive in some tight situations,” Peterson said.

The match proved a great defensive showing for Wake Forest. Schaefer once again led the team with 17 digs but was joined by three other Deacs with double-digit digs.

“We’re thrilled to be home,” Head Coach Heather Kahl said. “We have brought a lot of momentum into this home stretch and it is end of the first round of ACC play.”

Wake Forest is now 9-9 on the season and 2-7 in the ACC.

Their next matches are two conference games against Florida State 7 p.m. Oct. 21 and the University of Miami at 6 p.m. Oct. 22. 

Both matches are being held in Reynolds gym.