BLACKSBURG, Va. – The Old Dominion volleyball team picked up its first wins of the season as the Monarchs earned a pair of 3-1 victories over Marist and Coppin State on Friday at the Virginia Tech Invitational. ODU then concluded the tournament on Saturday, falling to the Hokies in straight sets. Virginia Tech hosted the two-day Invitational at Cassell Coliseum in Blacksburg, Virginia.
"It was great to get two wins on Friday," said head coach Fred Chao. "We dug ourselves substantial holes, but also showed the composure and ability to come back. That was a big takeaway for our squad. Moving forward, this experience could help us recover quicker from making errors and have more confidence to stop a momentum slide, which is half the battle."
Following Saturday's match, Bailey Burgess and Teresa Atilano were named to the All-Tournament Team. Burgess collected 19 kills (1.73 per set) while swinging for a .298 clip. The Raleigh, North Carolina native added one assist, two service aces, three digs and 16 blocks to her weekend totals. For Atilano, the setter from San Diego, California finished the Invitational with 55 assists (5.00 per set), seven kills on a .583 hitting percentage, four service aces and 15 digs.
"I'm glad Teresa and Bailey were recognized for their efforts this weekend," continued Chao. "They are both tough competitors and work hard at winning. What a great start to Bailey's collegiate career in only her second weekend of competition. For Teresa, it is a testament to her leadership to play in a modified system and still be recognized for what she does for the team."
ODU 3, Marist 1
Kira Smith and Burgess led the Monarch (2-4) attack in ODU's win over the Red Foxes (3-3), scoring 11 and 10 kills, respectively. Smith hit for a .333 percentage and added one ace, one block and five digs. Burgess swung for .421, was just shy of double-digit blocks with nine, and recorded a pair of digs. Atilano chipped in 22 assists and Ashlynn Belcher collected 17. The Monarchs combined to serve 10 aces, with Anna Burkhardt leading the way with four. Tessa Mati totaled seven blocks, Hailey Duncan and Myah Conway followed with three each, and Jamie Bissmeyer had a team-best 13 digs.
After a late 4-0 push helped Marist edge ODU 25-23 in the opening set, the Monarchs responded with a 25-15 decision in Set Two. With the set knotted at 4-4 early, Smith converted a ball from Atilano to ignite a 7-1 swing that gave the Monarchs the momentum. That carried into the third set, with the team quickly jumping out to a 9-2 advantage. The Red Foxes were unable to come up with an answer, and a 25-13 tally put ODU in front two sets to one.
The fourth set remained close with the Monarchs holding a narrow 14-12 lead at the midway point. Belcher then assisted Conway as ODU secured the next five points to pull ahead, 19-12. Another four unanswered helped clinch the match as the team picked up its first victory of the season with a 25-17 total.
ODU 3, Coppin State 1
Duncan and Gerren Tomlin both scored 12 kills to lead the Monarchs in their four-set victory over CSU. Atilano and Belcher were also matched efforts with 18 assists each, while Tomlin served five aces and Bissmeyer was right behind her with four. The team had another strong blocking performance with 10. Duncan registered six, and Conway and Burgess had four each. Bissmeyer led both sides with 16 digs.
ODU dug itself a hole for the second straight match as the Eagles (2-5) won the first set, 25-21. However, an Atilano kill started an 8-0 run early in the second set, giving the Monarchs control at 12-4. That led to a 25-14 total as ODU pulled even in the match at a set apiece. Old Dominion then cruised to a 25-11 final in Set Three. CSU earned the first seven points to start the fourth set, but a 6-0 push helped ODU get to within two points at 15-13. Later in the set, Belcher assisted Ashley Peroe to open up a 7-0 run and the Monarch earned its second win of the day with a 25-20 score.
Virginia Tech 3, ODU 0
Peroe led ODU in the loss to the Hokies (4-2) with five kills. Atilano turned in 15 assists with one ace and Belcher had the team's other ace. Six different players combined for 12 blocks as Duncan ended up with a team-high four. On the back line, Bissmeyer totaled a match-high 13 digs.
The tournament hosts were up 15-9 at the halfway point of the opening set, but Old Dominion followed a bad set by Virginia Tech with consecutive blocks to get to within 15-12. Both sides traded points the rest of the way as the Hokies held on, 25-19. The Monarchs couldn't recover from an early 8-1 deficit in the second set, and Virginia Tech went on to a 25-12 decision. In the third set, a pair of Hokie attack errors helped ODU wrestle away control at 14-13. The Monarchs then went ahead 21-18 as a Madeline Rudd kill opened a 4-0 run. However, Virginia Tech answered with a 4-0 run of its own and brought the match to a close with a 25-23 final.
2022 Virginia Tech Invitational All-Tournament Team
Maddie Slagle, Virginia Tech (Tournament MVP)
Anabel Zier, Virginia Tech
Bailey Burgess, Old Dominion
Teresa Atilano, Old Dominion
Gabrielle Heller, Marist
Ashley Roman, Coppin State
Up Next
The Monarchs will play their first home matches of the season when the team hosts the Quest for the Crown tournament next Thursday through Saturday, Sept. 8-10 at the ODU Volleyball Center. ODU starts the tournament on Thursday night at 6:30 p.m. against Navy. The team then takes on Notre Dame at 7 p.m. on Friday before wrapping up the tournament on Saturday with a 3 p.m. match versus East Carolina. Live stats will be available throughout the tournament and all three of ODU's matches will be streamed on ESPN+.
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 Earns Wins Over Marist and Coppin State Friday, Falls to Virginia Tech Saturday
