No. 3 Old Dominion (12-15, 7-7 Sun Belt) vs. No. 6 Arkansas State (8-21, 2-14 Sun Belt)
Game Info – Thursday, Nov. 17 at 1 p.m. EST
Location – Foley Events Center (Foley, Ala.)
Stream – ESPN+
Live Stats – Click Here
Tickets – Click Here
NORFOLK, Va. – Old Dominion volleyball will compete in a conference championship for the first time in its three years as a program when the Monarchs face sixth-seeded Arkansas State in the second round of the 2022 Sun Belt Championship tournament this Thursday.
First serve is scheduled for 1 p.m. EST. The match will be streamed on ESPN+ and live stats will also be available. Thursday marks the first-ever meeting between the two programs.
The 2022 bracket was determined by winning percentage against divisional foes only, with the top-two seeds earning automatic byes to the quarterfinal round. JMU claimed the conference regular-season title and the top seed out of the East after going a perfect 12-0 against divisional opponents. Texas State finished 11-1 against division opponents to earn the No. 1 seed for the West.
About ODU
The Monarchs (12-15, 7-7 Sun Belt) secured the No. 3 seed out of the league's East Division following a Sun Belt series split against Southern Miss last week to round out the regular season. ODU ended up 6-4 against its division rivals with series sweeps of Marshall and Georgia State and splits with Coastal Carolina and App State. A series at Georgia Southern was canceled due to Hurricane Ian.
The Sun Belt announced its 2022 postseason awards on Tuesday and Myah Conway became the first Monarch in program history to be named to an All-Conference First Team. Heading into the tournament, she leads the Monarchs with 406.5 points and 245 kills, is tied for second on the team with 75 blocks and also ranks fourth with 20 service aces. Her 540 career kills puts her first in ODU's record book. The Orwigsburg, Pennsylvania native reached double-digit scoring 18 times this season, owns a .242 hitting percentage and tallied four double-doubles.
Leading ODU's attack are Conway (345 kills; 3.45/set), Ashley Peroe (187 kills; 2.23/set) and Hailey Duncan (167 kills; 1.82/set). Teresa Atilano owns 836 assists and is the team's top server at 36 aces. The duo of Jamie Bissmeyer and Anna Burkhardt anchor the back row with 267 and 234 digs, respectively. At the net, Bailey Burgess has a team-high 93 blocks while Conway and Duncan are next with 75 each.
About Arkansas State
The Red Wolves (8-21, 2-14 Sun Belt) defeated seventh-seeded Georgia State in straight sets on Wednesday in the first match of the tournament. Bailey Helzer swung for a .515 clip and led both teams with 19 kills. Macey Putt contributed 11 digs with eight kills and Kyla Wiersema finished with seven kills. Kassidy Reeves and Lauren Musante combined for 30 assists. On defense, Sarah Martinez tallied a team-high 16 digs, Yazmyn Billings recorded four blocks and Putt pitched in two blocks.
After a 5-1 start to its season, Arkansas State dropped its next 18 matches before topping ULM 3-1 and 3-0 on Nov. 4-5 to get back in the win column. The Red Wolves then fell at Marshall 3-2 and 3-1 to finish the regular season.
Putt is the team leader in both points (419.5; 4.03/set) and kills (381; 3.66/set) and ranks second in digs (221). Wiersema is next with 233 kills (2.31/set) and owns a team-best 77 blocks. Musante (560 assists) and Reeves (435 assists) split time setting while Elise Wilcox and Sarah Martinez have served a combined 62 aces. Martinez heads into Thursday with 244 digs (4.14/set).
Tickets
Fans can purchase tickets online through the Foley Sports Tourism Box Office. Tickets are sold on a daily basis and are $10 per day for adults and $5 per day for children ages 12 and under. Students of Sun Belt Conference institutions are admitted free with a valid student ID.
Up Next
The winner of Thursday's match will advance to the quarterfinal round, where they will play No. 2 seed Troy at 1 p.m. EST on Friday. The Sun Belt Championship final is slated for a 2 p.m. EST start on Sunday.
Volleyball to Play No. 6 Seed Arkansas State in Second Round of Sun Belt Championship Tournament
