Old Dominion (14-16, 6-10 Sun Belt) vs. Louisiana (18-12, 9-7 Sun Belt)
Match Info – Thursday, Nov. 16 at 2:30 p.m. EST
Location – Foley Event Center (Foley, Ala.)
Watch – ESPN+
Live Stats – CLICK HERE
Tickets – CLICK HERE
Bracket – CLICK HERE
NORFOLK, Va. – Old Dominion volleyball begins play at this year's Sun Belt Conference Championship on Thursday when the Monarchs meet Louisiana for a 2:30 p.m. EST match at the Foley Event Center.
ODU earned the No. 5 seed out of the league's East Division and Louisiana is the No. 4 seed out of the West. Thursday's match will be streamed on ESPN+ and live stats will also be available. Fans can visit the Sun Belt's Championship Central page for more information.
Series History
UL and Old Dominion have played four matches against each other, with the Ragin' Cajuns ahead in the all-time series, 3-1. ODU hosted Louisiana on Oct. 19-20 earlier this season, with the Monarchs winning the first match in four sets. Myah Conway, a First Team All-Sun Belt selection, led ODU with 20 kills and LeeAnne Lowery set new career highs of 11 kills, 10 blocks and 16.5 points.
The next night favored the visitors as the Cajuns split the series with a 3-1 victory of their own. Conway again led ODU's attack with 16 kills and Lowery led the Monarchs at the net with six blocks.
About ODU
The Monarchs (14-16, 6-10 Sun Belt) split their final series of the regular season at Southern Miss last weekend. With a 3-1 victory on Friday, the team set a new program record for the most wins in a season. Additionally, Conway became the first player in program history to reach 1,000 career kills. She currently leads the Sun Belt and ranks 11th nationally with 504.0 points and is also first in the conference and 14th in the country with 439 kills. The Orwigsburg, Pennsylvania native ranks third in the league in kills per set (3.99) and is ODU's second-leading blocker with 90.
Heading into the conference tournament, Teresa Atilano sits in third place in the conference in both service aces (43) and total assists, and Bailey Burgess is fifth in total blocks (110). Alice Munari and Elisa Maggi follow Conway with 186 and 185 kills, respectively. Kate Kilpatrick owns the team high in digs with 361, and Atilano is next with 264.
As a team, the Monarchs are second in the Sun Belt and 12th in the nation with 274 total blocks. ODU is also second in the league in service aces (181) and third in both kills (1,408) and assists (1,290).
About Louisiana
The Ragin' Cajuns (18-12, 9-7) have won three in a row and are coming off a series sweep of App State. UL had two players earn postseason honors: Mio Yamamoto landed on the All-Conference First Team and was named the Sun Belt Libero of the Year while teammate Siena DeCambra earned Second Team All-Conference honors.
Through matches played on Nov. 14, DeCambra ranks 14th nationally and second in the Sun Belt with 1,100 assists. She's also third in the league with 10.19 assists per set. Yamamoto is third in the conference in total digs (457) and Kara Barnes ranks third in the Sun Belt in hitting percentage (.333). Shyia Richardson is Louisiana's leader in kills (362) and points (388.5) and Celeste Darling follows her with 277 kills. DeCambra and Cami Hicks have served 25 aces apiece, Chelsea George has served 23 and Kennedy Gustafson 21. On defense, Hicks has made a team-high 99 blocks and Mya Wilson owns 76 blocks.
Louisiana ranks within the Top 10 nationally in two different categories: the Ragin' Cajuns are sixth in team assists (1,403) and eighth in team kills (1,498). UL is also 21st in both team total attacks (4,034) and team digs (1,765) and ranks second in the conference in kills per set (13.26) and assists per set (12.42).
Up Next
The winner of Thursday's match will advance to the Sun Belt Championship Quarterfinals and face the top seed out of the East and regular-season champion Coastal Carolina on Friday at 2:30 p.m. EST.
ODU Volleyball Heads to Foley, Alabama for Sun Belt Championship Opener Versus Louisiana
