Old Dominion (7-6, 0-0 Sun Belt) vs. Liberty (7-4, 0-0 CUSA)
Match Info – Tuesday, Sept. 19 at 5 p.m.
Location – ODU Volleyball Center (Norfolk, Va.)
Watch – ESPN+
Live Stats – CLICK HERE
NORFOLK, Va. – Old Dominion volleyball returns to its home court this Tuesday as the Monarchs host Liberty for their final non-conference match of the regular season. First serve from the ODU Volleyball Center is set for 5 p.m.
Fans unable to attend the match can watch the action on ESPN+ or follow along with live stats. As part of Faculty and Staff Night, there will be free admission for any faculty and staff members who present a valid ODU faculty/staff ID card. Additionally, in support of ODU's Monarchs Give Back initiative, any fans who bring a canned good or non-perishable item will also get in free.
Series History
Tuesday's match will mark just the second meeting between the two teams. ODU and Liberty met in the first match of the 2021 Liberty Invitational, with the Monarchs sweeping the Flames in straight sets on Sept. 10 to end Liberty's undefeated start to the season. Alessia Sgherza led ODU with 10 kills and 11 digs, Teresa Atilano gathered 32 assists with four service aces, and Olivia De Jesus also served four aces. De Jesus and Myah Conway made two blocks each.
About ODU
Conway and Atilano were named to the Mountaineer Invitational All-Tournament Team as the Monarchs (7-6) earned a pair of 3-0 wins over West Virginia and Robert Morris on Thursday before falling to North Dakota State in five sets on Friday. Conway scored 44 kills (4.00 per set) while hitting .371 for the tournament, and Atilano tallied 118 assists (10.73 per set) as ODU hit .286 as a team. Thursday's sweep of the Mountaineers was also a milestone for the program as ODU secured its first win over a Power 5 opponent.
ODU already has two players with over 100 kills so far this season and are on the verge of adding a third. Conway leads the way with 182 kills, which leads the Sun Belt, Bryanna Jones is second with 101, and Alice Munari is nearing the mark with 94. Atilano currently ranks 13th nationally with 466 assists and is also 15th with 24 service aces. Kate Kilpatrick and Atilano have 148 and 100 digs, respectively. Bailey Burgess is the team leader in blocks with 55 (13 solo) and Conway follows her with 38 (five solo).
As a team, the Monarchs enter Tuesday's match ranked eighth in the country with 120 total blocks. ODU is averaging 2.4 blocks per set and is seven blocks ahead of the next Sun Belt team, App State. The Monarchs are also second in the league in serving with 85 aces, trailing only ULM at 95 aces.
About Liberty
The Lady Flames (7-4) traveled to College Station, Texas at the end of last week, where they fell 3-0 to No. 22 Houston on Thursday and 3-0 to a Texas A&M team that was receiving votes on Friday. Liberty is looking to snap a four-match skid after starting the season 7-0.
Kamryn Bacus has the team highs in points (167.5) and kills (142), while Kate Phillips is the other go-to on offense with 107 points and 92 kills. Setter Delaney Dilfer is at 354 assists while Bacus and Phillips have combined to serve 24 aces. On the defensive side of the net, Erica Lowery leads the Flames with 110 digs and Dilfer is second with 95. Madison Blane has recorded 54 blocks, Amanda Patterson owns 29 and Julia Mangum has 28. Bacus ranks 15th in the nation with 11.53 attacks per set and is 23rd with 4.93 points per set. Blane is 15th in hitting percentage (.450) and 23rd in blocks per set (1.38).
Liberty received 49 points and was picked to finish third in the Conference USA Preseason Coaches' Poll with Bacus and Dilfer named to the CUSA Preseason Team. In its first year as a member of CUSA, Liberty will host the conference championship on Nov. 17-19. The Lady Flames finished 23-9 overall last season, the program's most wins since 2014, and were the 2022 ASUN regular season champions. The Lady Flames also hosted the first two rounds of the Women's National Invitational Championship.
Head coach Trevor Johnson is in his sixth season leading the program, having previously coached two years at Concordia University Irvine.
Up Next
The first week of Sun Belt Conference play sees ODU heading to Huntington, West Virginia for a pair of matches at Marshall this Thursday and Friday. Both matches are scheduled for 6 p.m. starts at the Cam Henderson Center.
Volleyball Hosts Liberty Tuesday to Close Out Non-Conference Schedule
