MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The West Virginia University volleyball team (1-1, 0-0 Big 12) fell to Wake Forest in a five-set match to Wake Forest on Saturday night, 3-2. The Demon Deacons claimed victory with scores of 15-25, 25-15, 17-25, 25-22 and 15-7 inside of Reynold Gym in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
 
Four Mountaineers collected nine kills throughout the match, including redshirt junior outside hitter Cassidy Tanton, junior middle blocker Laila Ibrahim, junior outside hitter Quincey Coyle and sophomore middle blocker Maddy McGath.
 
The most notable stat line came from McGath who collected nine kills on a .389 clip, with five total blocks. Additionally, sophomore setter Alexis Finnvold dished out 27 assists, 12 digs and three service aces.
 
Graduate student libero Sydney Reed led the West Virginia defense by collecting a career high of 17 digs. Ibrahim led in team with six blocks, while junior middle blocker Chalina Lederer contributed four.
 
West Virginia took the advantage early, leading 3-0 after two aces from Finnvold in the first set. Points were dished on both sides of the net, as Coyle tied the score at seven a piece with back-to-back kills. A 4-0 Wake Forest run at the halfway point let the Mountaineers trail, 12-8. The Demon Deacons held the lead throughout the rest of the set, claiming a 25-15 victory.
 
The Mountaineers looked for revenge in set two, taking an 8-3 advantage after a slew of Wake Forest errors. A 5-0 West Virginia scoring run dominated the Demon Deacons as the Mountaineers led, 16-10. WVU persisted with the lead, laying down four answered points to take set two, 25-15.
 
Wake Forest led once again in set three, before a block by Ibrahim and McGath would tie the score at seven. A 7-0 run from the Demon Deacons shut down the Mountaineers offense, as it trailed 22-14. A pair of Wake Forest errors alongside a kill from McGath looked to close the gap, before the Demon Deacons pulled away taking the set 25-17.
 
In the fourth set, Wake Forest held the lead until the score was tied up at 14. Both teams fought for points as the score was tied five more times until a pair of kills from Ibrahim and junior opposite Lauren Bodily gave the Mountaineers the 23-20 advantage. Tanton went on to seal the set with a kill, 25-22.
 
Wake Forest dominated the fifth and final set, never letting the Mountaineers lead. A late kill from Coyle and an error from the Demon Deacons looked hopeful for West Virginia as it trailed, 14-7. Wake Forest went on to earn a 15-7 set victory, claiming the match.
 
West Virginia concludes the weekend on Sunday versus Hofstra. First serve is set for 1 p.m. ET, inside Reynolds Gym.
 
For more information on the Mountaineers, follow @WVUVolleyball on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.