RICHMOND, Va. – Old Dominion volleyball capped off its trip to Richmond with a 3-2 victory over VCU on Saturday at the Siegel Center. The Monarchs edged the Rams 15-8 in the fifth set to conclude the final day of the VCU Invitational.
"We controlled the net as the match went on," head coach Fred Chao said after the win. "This was a result of a combination of solid serving and adapting to the attackers across the net. We've worked hard at becoming a better blocking team and it's rewarding to see the efforts pay off. We called on a number of players over the weekend and we have a good idea of the different qualities each player can bring to a match. In each match, the team showed grit and fought for every point."
Myah Conway was named to an All-Tournament Team for the second time in as many weeks. The rightside hitter posted a .267 hitting percentage for the Invitational and led ODU in kills (47), kills per set (3.62), and points (58.0). She also added two assists, three service aces, 25 digs and 15 blocks (one solo) to her totals.
ODU 3, VCU 2
Ashley Peroe recorded a 15-kill, 13-dig double-double to help lead the Monarchs (5-8). The Virginia Beach, Virginia native swung for a .286 clip and added one assist and two service aces to her match totals. Conway also scored 15 kills with seven digs, five blocks, one assist and one ace. Tessa Mati was next in kills with seven. She also tallied 15 digs, made six blocks and earned one assist. Teresa Atilano set a new season high with 47 assists and was just shy of reaching double-digit digs with nine. Olivia De Jesus led the blocking effort with nine block assists, Hailey Duncan added three, and Jamie Bissmeyer led both teams with 29 digs.
The Monarchs and Rams (5-7) are now even at 1-1 in the all-time series.
Down 7-6 in the opening set, a kill from Peroe opened a 6-1 swing that allowed ODU to wrestle away the lead at 12-8. VCU wouldn't go away, though, as the home team served an ace to go up 20-19. After multiple ties down the stretch, Conway scored consecutive kills to give the Monarchs the set at 25-23.
ODU couldn't overcome a 6-0 run by the Rams in Set Two, and a 25-17 tally allowed VCU to pull even in the match at a set apiece. With the Monarchs trailing 24-22 in the third set, Duncan put away a pair of balls from Atilano for another tie. However, VCU earned the next two points to edge ODU, 26-24.
The Monarchs held a narrow 20-19 advantage in the fourth set when VCU committed a service error. Kills from Conway and Peroe and a block by De Jesus and Conway allowed ODU to pull away, 24-19. The Rams halted the run with two kills of their own, but Peroe scored another kill to force a fifth set.
ODU carried that momentum in the final set, quickly establishing an 8-2 lead. Mati and De Jesus then made one final block as the Monarchs earned the match point and completed the comeback.
2022 VCU Invitational All-Tournament Team
Kamani Conteh, UMBC
Myah Conway, Old Dominion
Crew Hoffmeier, VCU
Kaya Merkler, North Carolina
Up Next
ODU opens conference play next week as the Monarchs host Marshall for two Sun Belt matches on Thursday and Friday at the ODU Volleyball Center. Both matches 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.