BOONE, N.C. – The Old Dominion volleyball team lost 3-0 to Kansas City in its final match at the Black & Gold Challenge hosted by Appalachian State. Olivia De Jesus led the way for the Monarchs (2-4) with seven kills and four blocks.
"Overall we had a solid weekend," head coach Fred Chao said. "In our first match against ETSU, our stretches of good play were too few. But we learned more about where we needed to make changes. This showed in our second match against App State. We played at a good level for most of the four sets. There was only one cluster of points that cost us the third set. The last match of the tournament highlighted some of our lack of experience. The amount of pressure Kansas City brought from the service line really stressed our serve receive. We are still developing the mental bandwidth to focus on one aspect of the game and still play the rest of the game at a high level. Overall we solidified aspects of our team, and the true freshmen showed they can compete and make a big impact in our success."
De Jesus needed only 14 total attempts to post her seven kills, attacking at a .429 clip for the match. The middle blocker from West Hempstead, New York is now fourth on the team in total kills (31) and is top of the team in attacking percentage (.319).
Kansas City (5-1) won the first set 25-18 behind four kills from Melanie Brecka. The two sides traded points to start the set until the Roos broke away with a 4-0 run to make the score 12-8. ODU responded with back-to-back kills by Alessia Sgherza, but another 4-0 run from Kansas City ended the threat.
Madeline Rudd collected three of her six kills in the second set, another 25-18 win by Kansas City. The Roos scored seven unanswered to jump out to an 8-2 lead, but ODU clawed back into the match and briefly took an 11-10 advantage on the strength of a 6-1 surge. However, seven of the next nine points went to the Roos. Now down 17-13, the Monarchs pieced together three-straight points to make the score 17-16, but Kansas City closed out the set from there.
The Roos rode another quick start to a 25-18 win in the deciding set. Kansas City scored 11 of the first 15 points of the set and kept Old Dominion at bay. A pair of kills from De Jesus and a service ace from Sgherza pulled the Monarchs to within three at 15-12, but that was as close as they would get for the remainder of the set.
Teresa Atilano handed out 22 assists and added six digs on Saturday. Daniel Jordan led ODU with 11 digs, and Anna Burkhardt had nine as well.
Rudd once again came off the bench to provide attacking production for ODU. She notched six kills on 19 total swings, second-most on the team in both categories.
The Monarchs were once again strong at the net, totaling seven blocks. Myah Conway shared the game high with four blocks, and Hailey Duncan collected three. Only once this season has Old Dominion finished a match with fewer blocks than its opponent.
Brecka turned in a 13-kill, 11-dig double-double to lead the Roos. Alli Schomers had 32 assists, and Maddie Renn set the game high with 15 digs.
ODU returns to action next weekend at the Liberty Invitational. The Monarchs face Liberty (10 a.m.) and Loyola Marymount (4 p.m.) on Friday and Purdue Fort Wayne (1 p.m.) on Saturday.
Volleyball Concludes Black & Gold Challenge with 3-0 Loss to Kansas City
