FAIRFAX, Va. – The return of Old Dominion volleyball head coach Fred Chao to his alma mater proved to be a positive for ODU as the Monarchs rallied from a two-set deficit to defeat George Mason, 3-2 on Thursday night at the Recreation Athletic Complex. The match was the opener for GMU’s Mason Invitational.
“First, a big thank you to Coach Shifflett Bachmann and the folks behind the kind words that were shared before the match,” said Chao following the win. “It made it feel like a homecoming and it meant a lot to me. Second, hats off to the Mason squad for their high level of play in all facets of the game. We were pressured by their serves, their offensive speed, and their smarts. It took us a while to step up to the mark in those areas, and there are many rallies where we could not find consistent success in all those categories.”
After dropping the first two sets, the Monarchs (5-2) won the next two to force a fifth set. The Patriots (2-5) jumped out to a 3-0 lead, but the ODU put together an 8-1 response as the Monarchs led 8-4 when the teams switched sides. The hosts caught back up at 9-9 and neither side was able to create any separation until late. With the score knotted at 19-19, a GMU service error and an attack that was too long allowed ODU to come away with the match point.
“But I am so proud of our team’s composure and will to compete,” continued Chao. “Having gone through two five-set matches last weekend probably helped. Toward the end, our size and power finally made an impact on the game.”
ODU 3, George Mason 2
In the first set, a block by Myah Conway and LeeAnne Lowery followed by a kill from Lowery cut the GMU lead to 5-4. However, the hosts secured five of the next seven points to pull away. After a 5-0 run by the Patriots extended their lead to 21-11, a couple of Elisa Maggi kills highlighted a 6-2 swing that helped close the gap at 24-18. GMU was able to hold on though as the Patriots won the set, 25-20.
ODU trailed 5-2 at the beginning of the second set, but two more kills by Maggi followed by an Adrienne Peji Service evened the score at 5-5. Both teams traded points the rest of the way until a kill by GMU’s Olyvia Kennedy and a Caroline Rodriguez service ace put the hosts in front, 24-22. The next point went to ODU on a bad set by the Patriots, but Kennedy converted another attack to clinch the set at 25-23.
Back-to-back aces from Hailee Blankenship helped the Monarchs build a 5-2 advantage in the third set. Later with the Patriots ahead 13-12, a pair of Maggi kills opened up a 4-0 run as ODU wrestled away the lead at 16-13. GMU stayed within a point late, but Ashlynn Belcher assisted Blankenship on a kill that got the Monarchs on the board with a 25-22 decision.
The fourth set was tied at 15-15 when a Conway kill opened up an 8-1 run in favor of the Monarchs. The Belcher to Blankenship connection then paid off again as ODU won another set point at 25-19.
ODU dug itself a 3-0 hole to start the decisive set, but a solo block by Conway and another block by Maggi and Emma Schelah helped the Monarchs pull even at 4-4. After a kill by GMU’s Camille Larkin, Maggi scored a couple of attack attempts, Lowery and Conway followed with another block, and Lowery added a kill to give ODU the lead at 8-4. The Patriots refused to go away though and the set then saw 11 more ties. The Monarchs looked like they took a 20-18 lead, but GMU won its challenge to even the set at 19-19. However, Rodriguez’s serve went into the net and Kennedy’s attack on the next rally sailed past the base line as ODU completed the comeback.
Maggi recorded a 17-kill, 10-dig double-double to lead the Monarchs. She committed just one error in 30 attacks for a .533 attack percentage and added one ace and two blocks to her totals. Conway was next with 15 kills, six of them in the fourth set, as she hit for an even .400 mark. The senior also made four blocks, one of them solo, with one dig. Also scoring double-digit kills was Blankenship, who ended the night with 14 while hitting for .343. She also collected one assists with three aces, one block and six digs.
Belcher surpassed her previous career high with 42 assists and added eight digs, Lowery turned in a five-block performance, and Adrienne Peji and Kate Kilpatrick finished with seven digs each.
ODU was held to a .200 hitting percentage in the first set and a .286 mark in the second, but swung for a .393 clip in the third and .333 in the fourth. The Monarchs then posted a .261 percentage in the final set for a .297 average for the match. Meanwhile, the Patriots turned in a .157 hitting percentage on the night, to include a .107 clip in the second, a -.029 mark in the fourth, and a .071 percentage in the fifth.
Old Dominion led George Mason in blocks, 10-6, but the hosts held the advantage in every other category. GMU led ODU in points (77-71), kills (60-56), service aces (11-5), assists (51-49) and digs (56-46). The match featured 40 ties, 12 of them in the second set and 13 in the fifth, and 17 lead changes.
The second meeting between the two programs, ODU is now 2-0 in the all-time series.
Up Next
The Monarchs continue the Mason Invite tomorrow when they play Quinnipiac in a 4 p.m. match at the RAC.