Old Dominion (8-6, 0-0 Sun Belt) at Marshall (8-6, 0-0 Sun Belt)
Match Info – Thursday, Sept. 21 at 6 p.m.
Friday, Sept. 22 at 6 p.m.
Location – Cam Henderson Center (Huntington, W.Va.)
Watch – ESPN+ (Thursday | Friday)
Live Stats – Thursday | Friday
NORFOLK, Va. – Old Dominion volleyball is headed back to West Virginia for the second time in as many weeks as the Monarchs open Sun Belt Conference play at Marshall this Thursday and Friday.
Both matches will be played in the Cam Henderson Center and are scheduled for 6 p.m. starts. Marshall will stream both contests on ESPN+ and fans can also follow along with live stats. Fans can purchase tickets for the two matches here.
Series History
The former Conference USA rivals have met six times, with the all-time series knotted at 3-3. ODU won both matches last season in Norfolk, defeating the Herd 3-1 on Sept. 22 and 3-0 on Sept. 23.
In the first match, Myah Conway paced the offense with 18 kills, Ashley Peroe was next with 12, and Teresa Atilano turned in a 52-assist, 10-dig double-double. Defensively, the Monarchs out blocked the Herd, 9-4.
Peroe and Conway scored 11 kills each to lead ODU in the second match. Atilano and Ashlynn Belcher served two aces each, with Atilano also tallying 32 assists. The Monarchs outhit the Herd, .324 to .271 to complete the Sun Belt series sweep.
About ODU
The Monarchs (8-6) have won four out of their last five matches as ODU defeated Liberty 3-2 on Tuesday night at the ODU Volleyball Center. A pair of Atilano service aces helped the Monarchs to a 5-0 start in the decisive set, and a pair of late kills from Bryanna Jones and LeeAnne Lowery sealed the win for the home team.
The Sun Belt Offensive Player of the Week, Conway currently leads the league and ranks eighth nationally in total kills (198) and is ninth in points (224). Atilano has also cracked the Top 10 nationally in several categories. The setter from San Diego, California is first in the conference and fifth in the country in service aces (28) and sixth in assists (509). Bailey Burgess, the Sun Belt Defensive Player of the Week, finds herself ranked 13th in the country and is the league leader in blocks with 61.
Newcomers Alice Munari and Jones have also cracked the century mark in kill with 105 and 104, respectively. Munari has served 17 aces, Kate Kilpatrick owns 11, and Burgess and Kira Smith are next with nine each. Kilpatrick has the team high in digs with 160, followed by Atilano at 110. Conway is second on the team in blocks at 43 and Lowery is third with 33.
Through matches played on Sept. 19, the Monarchs rank third nationally in team total blocks (133), 10th in team kills (666), 11th in team assists (619) and 20th in team service aces (95).
About Marshall
The Thundering Herd also has an 8-6 record heading into conference play. Marshall traveled to Utah last weekend to play in the Southern Utah/Utah Tech Invitational, where they earned a pair of 3-1 wins over Idaho and Southern Utah on Friday and a 3-2 victory against Utah Tech on Saturday.
Junior setter Brynn Brown has recorded three triple-doubles this season, ranking third in the nation in that category. Bria Samilton has the No. 15 spot in service aces with 25, and Lydia Montague's 54 blocks rank 29th. The Herd has four players with over 100 kills: Jazminn Parrish owns 121, Montague is close behind her with 118, Brown is at 114 and Kylee Stokes has 108. On the other side of the net, Marshall also has four players with over 100 digs. Peyton Neal is first with 161, Samilton is second with 142, Parrish is next with 118 and Brown enters this week's series with 109.
As a team, Marshall is seventh nationally in team digs (822), 15th in total attacks (1,760), 18th in kills (654), and 21st in assists (600).
The Herd was picked to finish sixth in the Sun Belt's East Division in the Preseason Coaches' Poll. Head coach Ari Aganus is in her fifth season with the program.
Up Next
Week two of conference play will see ODU hosting Georgia Southern on Friday and Saturday, Sept. 29-30. The first match against the Eagles is scheduled for a 6:30 p.m. start, and the teams will then meet again at 2 p.m. the next day.
Volleyball Set to Open Sun Belt Play at Marshall
