FOLEY, Ala. – Old Dominion looked to complete the comeback with a 15-14 lead in the fifth set, but No. 6 seed Arkansas State earned three consecutive points to bring the Monarchs' 2022 season to a close with a 3-2 final Thursday in the second round of the Sun Belt Conference Championship.
"We never quit. We made some plays in some stretches and earned a chance to win the match," said head coach Fred Chao.
Arkansas State 3, ODU 2
The Monarchs (12-16, 7-7 Sun Belt) had four players score in double figures, led by Myah Conway with 23 kills. Bailey Burgess followed with 12 kills, Hailey Duncan was next with 11, and Ashley Peroe tallied 10 along with 15 digs for a double-double. Teresa Atilano finished the match with 39 assists, Ashlyn Belcher had 12 assists, and Peroe served a pair of aces. Anna Burkhardt led both teams with 24 digs. At the net, ODU matched its season high in blocks with 14. Duncan led the way with seven (three solo), Burgess recorded six and Peroe five.
As a team, the Monarchs combined to hit for .199 while the Red Wolves (9-21, 2-14 Sun Belt) swung for .188. ODU earned more points (83.0-80.0) and held the advantage in blocks (14-8). The match featured a total of 36 ties and 22 lead changes.
All five sets were close from start to finish. In the opening set, Atilano assisted Peroe on a kill as ODU trailed by a point at 18-17. Arkansas State then strung together four straight points before Duncan put away a ball to open up a 3-0 response. The Red Wolves then won three of the next four rallies to claim a 25-21 decision.
With Set Two knotted at 7-7, ODU put together a 6-0 run highlighted by a pair of Burgess kills. Arkansas State chipped away at the Monarch lead and eventually caught up at 23-23. Later, Conway posted back-to-back kills before the Red Wolves committed an attack error. The 28-26 tally evened the match at a set apiece.
ODU found itself trailing 16-11 in the third set. The Monarchs battled to within a point at 16-15, again at 17-16 and a third time at 21-20. However, their opponent held them off 25-21 for a 2-1 overall lead in the match.
Tied at 15-15 midway through the fourth set, kills from Peroe and Conway helped establish an 18-15 advantage. The two teams then traded points from there, and the Monarchs forced a fifth set with a 25-23 total.
An early 5-0 run helped ODU build a 6-2 lead at the start of the final set. Unfortunately, the Red Wolves answered with a 5-0 push of their own. Facing match point at 14-11, Conway scored three straight kills before a block by Burgess and Tessa Mati gave the Monarchs back control, 15-14. A few points later with the Monarchs leading 16-15, Arkansas State followed an ODU service error with an ace. The Red Wolves then scored the decisive kill to bring the match to its end at 18-16.
Thursday marked ODU's first appearance in a conference tournament in its three years as a program.
Volleyball Drops Sun Belt Tournament Match to No. 6 seed Arkansas State, 3-2
