CONWAY, S.C. – Old Dominion volleyball used a late 3-0 run to fight back to within a point at 14-13 in the fifth set, but Coastal Carolina earned the next point as the Monarchs dropped a close match on Friday night at the HTC Center.
The loss drops ODU to 9-12 overall and 1-6 in Sun Belt play.
"We took a few steps in the right direction tonight. We played well for longer stretches and it was good to make a push late in the fifth set. We have to build on our performance and be aggressive tomorrow," said head coach Fred Chao.
Coastal Carolina 3, ODU 2
Down 7-5 in the first set, kills by Bailey Burgess and Alice Munari and a Tessa Mati service ace highlight a 4-0 run that put the Monarchs ahead, 9-7. Following ties at 9-9 and 10-10, the Chanticleers (12-7, 7-0) outscored ODU 7-1 to go up 17-12. Later in the set, Kate Kilpatrick assisted Myah Conway to get cut the deficit to 23-21. The sides then traded points as CCU claimed the set, 25-22.
ODU put together a 5-0 run to take control of the second set, 16-10. LeeAnne Lowery converted an attack to start the charge and followed a pair of CCU attack errors with another kill. She and Conway then denied Coastal's Jasmine Rivest. A late 5-0 push by the home team trimmed the ODU lead to 23-20, but the Monarchs won two of the next three rallies to even the match at a set apiece.
In the third set, the Monarchs jumped out to an 8-3 lead and never looked back. ODU took a 15-10 advantage into the media timeout. A Teresa Atilano service ace made it 24-18, and a kill from Conway capped off the set, 25-20.
ODU stayed within a couple points early in the fourth set, but the hosts slowly pulled away with a pair of 3-0 spurts that made it 18-12. The Monarchs couldn't catch the Chants, and a 25-17 tally sent the match to a fifth set.
The decisive set saw the Monarchs dig themselves a 5-1 hole. ODU didn't fold though as Conway scored another kill, Munari followed with a solo block and Kilpatrick served an ace to trim the CCU lead to 5-4. Facing match point at 14-10, ODU stayed alive with a Mati kill, a block by Conway and Lowery and an attack error by the Chants. The Monarchs couldn't keep it going, however, as Mati's next serve went into the net.
Conway and Atilano both recorded double-doubles to lead the Monarchs. Conway hit .385 and finished with 24 kills and 15 digs while Atilano got up to 47 assists with 11 digs. Mati also scored in double figures with 10 kills, Munari was next with nine, Burgess had eight and Lowery seven. Kilpatrick contributed 13 digs and led both teams with three service aces, tying her season high. Lowery made five blocks (two solo), and Atilano and Burgess made three each.
The match features 16 ties, 14 of them in the first two sets, and 10 lead changes. ODU outhit Coastal Carolina .288 to .238 held the advantage in points (79-76) and blocks (11-5).
Up Next
ODU and Coastal Carolina return to the court tomorrow for the second match of their conference series. First serve from the HTC Center is set for 1 p.m.
Late Charge Not Enough as Monarchs Fall 3-2 at Coastal Carolina
