ATLANTA – Old Dominion volleyball earned a 3-1 Sun Belt victory over Georgia State on Friday, Nov. 4 at the GSU Sports Arena. The match marked the first-ever meeting between the two teams.
"Congratulations to field hockey and women's soccer! I'm pleased with the win, and the team showed resilience to ride out the momentum shifts. Our blocking made a big difference tonight. We need to do a little more to control our serve and pass game. We should anticipate a few tactical adjustments on their end tomorrow, but focus more on our chances to score," said head coach Fred Chao.
ODU 3, Georgia State 1
ODU had three players reach double-digit kills: Myah Conway led both teams with 18, Ashley Peroe chipped in 12 and Madeline Rudd finished with a season high of 10. Conway also added 10 digs for a double-double, Teresa Atilano ended the match with 49 assists and Peroe served two aces. Defensively, Anna Burkhardt recorded 21 digs. Hailey Duncan made five blocks (two solo), Bailey Burgess followed with four, Atilano and Conway both had three and Peroe two.
The Monarchs (10-14, 5-6 Sun Belt) finished with more kills (66-54), assists (59-53), service aces (4-3) and blocks (10-4). ODU also hit .308 as a team.
After the Panthers (5-20, 1-12 Sun Belt) tied the opening set at 4-4, kills by Conway, Atilano and Rudd highlighted a 4-1 swing that gave ODU an 8-5 lead. GSU was able to knot the score at 15-15, but ODU earned eight of the next nine points. Atilano then assisted Conway as the Monarchs secured the set point at 25-18.
GSU broke a 10-10 tie in the second set with a 5-1 push and never surrendered the lead from there. A block from Burgess and Conway and a kill by Rudd helped cut the deficit to 22-20, but the hosts evened the match at a set apiece with a 25-21 tally.
Set Three began with four straight points to the Monarchs. The Panthers kept it close, but a ball handling error and kills by Burgess and Rudd allowed ODU to pull away, 18-13. GSU was able to get within a couple points at 20-18 and again at 21-19, but ODU held for a 25-21 decision.
The fourth set saw ODU trailing 15-13 at the media timeout. Rudd and Conway then scored two kills each to put the Monarchs in front, 17-16. After the ninth tie in the set knotted the score at 17-17, a Conway put away a ball from Atilano to open a 4-0 run. ODU and GSU traded points from there and the Monarchs claimed the match with a 25-20 final.
Up Next
ODU and Georgia State resume their conference series with a 1 p.m. start to their second match on Saturday. Fans can watch on ESPN+ and live stats will also be available.
Volleyball Defeats Georgia State, 3-1
