HARRISONBURG, Va. – Old Dominion volleyball suffered another 3-0 setback on Saturday afternoon as the Monarchs dropped their Sun Belt Conference match at James Madison.
"We had a tough day against a very strong team," said head coach Fred Chao. "JMU controlled most aspects of the match. They forced us into difficult situations and we didn't have the answers today. We never quit, but we weren't effective enough to score. These are powerful experiences and will ultimately contribute to our continued growth."
JMU 3, ODU 0
Ashley Peroe and Myah Conway scored six kills each and Hailey Duncan and Bailey Burgess followed with five kills each. Teresa Atilano led both teams with 19 assists. She also served two aces with Duncan serving one as well. On the defensive side of the net, Burgess recorded six blocks, Conway was next with four blocks and Tessa Mati contributed three blocks with eight digs. Jamie Bissmeyer collected a team-high 10 digs.
The Dukes (11-4, 5-1 Sun Belt) built an early 5-1 lead to start the first set, but a solo block by Burgess helped the Monarchs (7-10, 2-2 Sun Belt) pull even at 6-6. JMU broke out for eight straight points to go up 16-8, but ODU kept its composure. Atilano followed up a Burgess kill with a service ace, Conway added a solo block, and Burgess and Mati made another block to trim the hosts' lead to 18-16. However, the Monarchs couldn't quite catch their opponents from there and the Dukes held on, 25-21.
In the second set, Atilano set up Peroe for a kill to make it an 11-8 deficit. From there, JMU took off with an 8-1 swing that put the set out of reach for the Monarchs. Another six straight points gave the Dukes a two-set lead in the match with a 25-10 decision.
JMU used a 10-0 run to build an 11-2 advantage in the third set. ODU was unable to come up with a response and a 25-18 tally gave the home team the match.
Up Next
ODU is back on its home court next weekend as the Monarchs host Coastal Carolina for a Sun Belt series at the ODU Volleyball Center. Friday's match will be streamed on ESPN+ and is scheduled for a 6:30 p.m. start. The teams then meet again on Saturday for a 1 p.m. first serve.
Monarchs Fall 3-0 at JMU on Saturday
