NORFOLK, Va. – It was a great start to the season for Old Dominion volleyball as the Monarchs defeated cross-town rival Norfolk State 3-0 on Saturday to finish the Third Annual Quest for the Crown tournament with a 2-0 record.
Bryanna Jones earned Tournament MVP honors and was joined on the All-Tournament Team by Elisa Maggi, Teresa Atilano and Myah Conway.
The first weekend of the 2023 season saw several freshmen making significant contributions. Offensively, Jones paced the attack with 29 kills (4.14 per set) and 32 points (4.57 per set) while swinging for a .333 hitting percentage. Maggi did not appear in Friday's 3-1 win over VCU, but scored 10 kills with a .588 clip against the Spartans. On the other side of the net, libero Kate Kilpatrick anchored the back row with 26 digs (3.71 per set).
"Everybody did a really nice job, but for the freshmen to step up like that and carry a load that they did, it's so impressive. Our future is so bright right now," said head coach Fred Chao.
ODU 3, Norfolk State 0
The Monarchs controlled the opening set from start to finish. After scoring a kill to open the match, Atilano then served an ace for the early 2-0 lead. A block from Conway and LeeAnne Lowery, followed by a 4-0 run highlighted by a pair of Conway kills, helped push the lead to 8-2. An 11-1 push helped the Monarchs go up 19-4, and a Maggi kill punctuated a 25-9 set for the tournament hosts.
"Unbelievable," Chao said of Maggi's performance on Saturday. "It was so fun just to watch her. She's really an artist up there. She can see what's happening, take a really fast swing if she needs to. If not, she'll wait a little bit, let the block move somewhere else and then take the swing."
But the Spartans (0-2) found their groove early in the next set as NSU found themselves ahead, 5-1. Conway converted a couple of attacks to help close the gap at 5-4, and Atilano assisted Jones to knot the score at 8-8. The visitors rattled off five-straight points for a 20-17 advantage, but multiple NSU errors and kills by Jones and Lowery helped ODU retake the lead at 24-22. Norfolk State had an opportunity to pull even the match up 27-26 late, but some more attack errors and a kill by Jones allowed the Monarchs to win the set.
Set Three remained close until a pair of Jones service aces helped ODU put together a 5-0 run and pull away, 21-14. The sides traded points down the stretch, and Maggi served up an ace for the match point at 25-17.
Jones led the Monarchs with 15 kills and 17 points. The Naperville, Illinois native also served two aces and added one assist and five digs to her totals.
On Jones' effort, Chao added, "She's being asked to take a lot of swings, but she's really responsible too. Hitting .321 in a match is a great efficiency. That's what we want and she's cutting back on unforced errors."
In addition to her 10 kills, Maggi contributed one ace and six digs. Atilano tallied 36 assists and Alice Munari also served two aces. At the net, Atilano recorded three blocks while Conway, Bailey Burgess and Olivia De Jesus had two each. Ashlynn Belcher and Kilpatrick chipped in eight and seven digs, respectively. The Monarchs combined to hit .434 as a team.
2023 Quest for the Crown
All-Tournament Team
Bryanna Jones, ODU (Tournament MVP)
Shonte Seale, Norfolk State
Ana Brangioni, VCU
Elisa Maggi, ODU
Teresa Atilano, ODU
Myah Conway, ODU
Up Next
ODU returns to its home court this Tuesday as the Monarchs host William & Mary. First serve is scheduled for 5 p.m. and the match will be streamed on ESPN+.
Volleyball Defeats Norfolk State 3-0, Jones Named Quest for the Crown MVP
