While Boston College volleyball certainly played to win against Wake Forest on Friday night, it also played in honor of the “Dig Pink” game to honor the lives of those who have battled breast cancer.
Moments before the match started, the Eagles formed a tunnel for Liz Haggerty—junior middle blocker Julia Haggerty’s mother—who beat breast cancer this past summer. The crowd cheered as Haggerty’s mother walked through the sea of players and was handed a bouquet that ended in a large embrace with every teammate.
BC, however, couldn’t keep their undefeated record at home this season alive, as the Eagles (12–7, 1–4 Atlantic Coast) fell to Wake Forest (12–5, 3–2 Atlantic Coast) 3–1 inside the Margot Connell Recreation Center. The Eagles had previously won all seven of their home games this season.
In total, BC registered 57 points and 12 blocks, while Wake Forest registered 71 points and 15 blocks.
The set scores were 25-19, 25-22, 25-19 and 25-19.
Despite the loss, the Eagles dominated the first set, quickly gaining control. BC started off with momentum, taking a 7–1 lead after Cornelia Roach and Grace Penn notched a set of aces. The Demon Deacons were unable to gain a defensive footing, struggling to contain numerous key BC kills. Katrina Jensen put BC ahead 22–16 with a kill, and Halle Schroder finished off the set with a dominant kill of her own to give BC the 1–0 match lead.
Jensen tallied nine total kills in the game—the most out of any BC player—while Schroder delivered six kills. Penn also reached 2,000 career assists in the loss.
While BC jumped out to a 5–2 lead in the second set, it was unable to continue its offensive dominance. Each squad went back and forth in rallies, but Wake eventually pulled ahead.
“I think we need to be more efficient offensively,” BC head coach Jason Kennedy said. “I think our setters did a pretty good job in the first set at understanding the game plan, and after that, we lost it and could not manufacture enough points of our own to be able to win the game.”
As the Demon Deacons gained control of the set, so did Paige Crawford, as she would go on to make decisive plays keep Wake Forest ahead. She recorded 16 total kills in the game.
The Eagles tried to figure out ways to combat Wake Forest’s success, but couldn’t crack the code, dropping the second set.
“We went to a few different pieces as the match went on, but we couldn’t find the rhythm to be as effective offensively as we would have liked to be,” Kennedy said. “I don’t think we adjusted very well when they had to change their lineup.”
The third set featured an extremely even affair, with the score tied 15–15. But Wake Forest put together a strong sequence that featured seven kills, and BC found itself in a 24–19 hole. A Jenna Pollock attack error handed the Demon Deacons the set win.
A 4–0 run that was capped off with an Ava Carney kill propelled the Demon Deacons to a fourth set victory, and the win.
Despite the loss, Kennedy remained optimistic and highlighted the impact of the match’s message.
“We get an opportunity to showcase different things in our sport,” Kennedy said. “I think for us to be able to highlight various events throughout the year, and tonight being about trying to create some awareness around cancer is always a good thing that we can do.”
