VCU Invitational
Tournament Info – Friday, Sept. 16 & Saturday, Sept. 17
Location – Siegel Center (Richmond, Va.)
Stream – ODU at VCU (Sept. 17, 6 p.m. on ESPN+)
Live Stats – CLICK HERE
Full Schedule
Friday, Sept. 16
10 a.m. – Old Dominion vs. North Carolina
3 p.m. – UMBC vs. Old Dominion
6 p.m. – VCU vs. North Carolina
Saturday, Sept. 17
10 a.m. – VCU vs. UMBC
3 p.m. – North Carolina vs. UMBC
6 p.m. – VCU vs. Old Dominion
*Times are in Eastern Standard
NORFOLK, Va. – The Old Dominion volleyball team rounds out its non-conference schedule this weekend as the team travels to Richmond, Virginia to play in the VCU Invitational.
The Monarchs will play twice on Friday with a 10 a.m. tilt versus North Carolina before squaring off with UMBC at 3 p.m. ODU then completes the tournament with a 6 p.m. match against the host Rams on Saturday.
Live stats will be available for each match and Saturday will be streamed on ESPN+. VCU is hosting the two-day tournament at the Siegel Center.
About ODU
The Monarchs improved to 4-6 overall with a 3-0 victory at Norfolk State this past Tuesday at NSU's Gill Gymnasium. As a team, ODU hit for a season-best .358 percentage and served 13 aces on the night. Ashley Peroe and Tessa Mati led ODU offensively with 12 and 10 kills, respectively. Teresa Atilano chipped in 32 assists and the team had seven players serve an ace, led by Myah Conway with four. Jamie Bissmeyer finished her evening with 12 digs while Conway tallied 10 digs with four blocks.
Conway leads the Monarchs in both points (105.5) and kills (87) this season. Bailey Burgess and Hailey Duncan are at 61 kills each, and Atilano has 263 assists with a team-high 19 service aces. Bissmeyer has made 114 digs, Burgess is the team leader in blocks with 36, and Duncan is close behind her with 31.
Atilano is currently ranked 17th nationally and third in the Sun Belt in service aces. She is also 43rd in the country and fourth in the league with 0.54 aces per set. Burgess sits fourth in the SBC in total blocks and is fifth in blocks per set (1.03). The Monarchs enter the weekend ranked second in the SBC and 38th nationally with 67 service aces.
About North Carolina
The Tar Heels (5-3) hosted an ACC-Big Ten Challenge last Friday and Saturday at Carmichael Arena. UNC started off the Challenge with a straight-set victory over Michigan State on Friday, but suffered a 3-0 loss to Michigan on Saturday. Maddy May secured ACC Co-Freshman of the Week honors on Monday after tallying 50 digs through the team's there matches last week.
Mabrey Shaffmaster has scored 107 kills and Charley Niego 98 to lead UNC's attack. Anita Babic is the team's primary setter with 202 assists and Parker Austin has served 14 aces. May and Shaffmaster have combined for 164 digs to lead the back row, and Kaya Merkler is UNC's leading blocker with 31.
UNC received 134 points and was picked to finish sixth in the ACC's Preseason Coaches' Poll. Merkler, Niego and Shaffmaster represented the Tar Heels on the Preseason All-ACC Team.
About UMBC
The Retrievers (4-3) are on a three-match win streak heading into the Invitational. After a pair of 3-2 wins over Delaware and James Madison on Sept. 4 and Sept. 9, UMBC bested Niagara in four sets last Sunday in Baltimore, Maryland. On Tuesday, Freshman setter Serin Maden earned her third-straight America East Setter of the Week honor while teammate Mia Bilusic was named the league's Player of the Week.
Bilusic has scored a team-high 133 kills, though Kamani Conteh is right on her heels with 126. Maden enters the weekend with 300 assists and Bilusic also owns the team high in service aces with 22. On the other side of the net, Aysia Miller is up to 118 digs and Mila Ilieva is the go-to option at the net with 23 blocks.
After winning back-to-back America East titles the past two seasons, the Retrievers were voted as this year's favorite to win again in the conference's Preseason Coaches' Poll.
About VCU
The Rams (4-5) were in Gainesville, Florida last Friday and Saturday for the Florida Invitational at Exactech Arena. Day One of the tournament saw VCU drop a match to Florida Gulf Coast, 3-1 before bouncing back with a 3-2 win over Georgia Southern at night. VCU then fell in straight sets to the No. 16 Gators to wrap up their trip to the Sunshine State.
Qairo Bentley has scored 88 kills and Jasmine Knight 86 to pace the VCU offense. Taylor Aguano and Corinna Jones have combined for 280 assists while Sarah Stratton and Jones are the team's leading servers with nine aces each. Crew Hoffmeier is the Rams' leader in digs with 127, and Stratton and Knight have recorded 36 and 32 blocks, respectively.
VCU was picked to finish second in the Atlantic 10's Preseason Poll. Saturday will be the second-ever meeting between the two programs. The Rams lead the all-time series 1-0 after a 3-0 final on Jan. 23, 2021 in Norfolk, Virginia.
Up Next
ODU begins conference play next Thursday and Friday, Sept. 22-23 as the Monarchs host Sun Belt foe Marshall for two matches at the ODU Volleyball Center. Both days are scheduled for 6:30 p.m. starts.
Fans can purchase 2022-23 Old Dominion voucher books online at ynottix.com. For the cost of $50, you get 25 tickets that can be used for any regular season home game at the ODU Volleyball Center, ODU Soccer Complex or Bud Metheny Baseball Stadium.
Single-game tickets can also be purchased for $5 at the entrance to the ODU Volleyball Center.
Click here to purchase the 2022-23 ODU voucher book.
Volleyball Heads to Richmond for VCU Invitational
