WILLIAMSBURG, Va. – William & Mary forced a fifth set after trailing two sets to none, but Old Dominion volleyball edged the Tribe 15-12 to pick up the 3-2 road win on Tuesday night at Kaplan Arena.
The Tribe (1-2) led 7-5 in the decisive set, but the Monarchs (3-1) put together a 4-0 run to jump ahead 13-9. W&M applied some pressure as a couple of late kills by Maddie Meyers trimmed the ODU lead to 14-12, but Bryanna Jones put away a ball from Ashlynn Belcher to seal the victory.
“What a battle we had tonight, and I’m thrilled to be on the winning end,” said ODU Head Coach Fred Chao. “It wasn’t a clean performance from either side, but it was a nail biter for sure. Hats off to William & Mary for pacing the match most of the way.”
The match marked the second-ever meeting between the two programs, a series that ODU now leads 2-0.
ODU 3, W&M 2
The Tribe took an early 8-4 lead in the first set, but a W&M attack error and an Emma Schelah solo block helped the Monarchs close the gap, 10-9. The hosts then won the next four points to pull away again, but ODU whittled away at the W&M lead and pulled even at 21-21. The Tribe looked to grab the set with a 26-25 advantage, but Myah Conway tied things up with a kill. After Adrienne Peji served up an ace, W&M evened the score yet again at 27-27. However, another attack error and a kill by LeeAnne Lowery allowed ODU to win the set, 29-27.
The Monarchs jumped out to a 4-0 lead to start the second set and never looked back. The closest the home team would get would be within two points at 14-12, but Lowery scored a kill to open up another 4-0 run. Elisabeth Levick assisted Hailee Blankenship to clinch the set point at 25-19.
The third set remained close until a Kathenine Arnason kill opened up a 4-0 run that allowed the Tribe to take control, 19-16. The Monarchs couldn’t come up with a response, and W&M kept the match going with a 25-19 tally.
Belcher and Schelah combined for a block as ODU took a 13-8 lead in the fourth set. The two teams tied the score eight times down the stretch, but it was the Tribe who came out with the set point. At 25-25, Arnanon converted her attack to put the hosts back in front. Audrey Brcka then blocked a Conway attack attempt as W&M forced a fifth set.
Kate Kilpatrick set Jones for a kill to open the 4-0 run in the final set, giving ODU the lead at 10-9. Conway followed with a kill, W&M committed an attack error, and Blankenship found pay dirt as her kill made it 13-9.
“I don’t think we ever felt comfortable aside for a few stretches in the second set,” continue Chao. “Fortunately, we were able to keep the sets close enough to string together points at the end once we found our nerve.”
It was a career night for Belcher as the junior from Marengo, Ohio tallied new bests of 40 assists and 17 digs for her first ever double-double. Her previous career highs were a 12-dig outing at Virginia on Sept. 5, 2023 and a 26-assist effort against James Madison on Oct. 7, 2023. She added two kills and one block to her match totals.
Conway hit for a .325 clip and paced the attack with 18 kills, Blankenship was close behind with 16 kills and 12 digs, and Jones contributed 13 kills with 12 digs. Levick finished her night with 15 assists while six different Monarchs served an ace. On the defensive side of the net, Schelah recorded five blocks, including three in the fourth set. Lowery was next with four blocks and Kilpatrick had a team-high 19 digs.
ODU hit over .300 in each of the three sets it won, but was held to a .103 hitting percentage in the third set and a .157 mark in the fourth. The Monarchs served more aces (6-5), but the Tribe led ODU in points (89-84), kills (72-69), blocks (12-9), assists (66-65) and digs (91-87).
Up Next
The Monarchs will play in the Villanova Classic this weekend. ODU begins the tournament with a 4:30 p.m. match versus Princeton on Friday, followed by a 4:30 p.m. match against Loyola (Md.) on Saturday. The team then rounds out the trip by taking on the host Wildcats on Sunday at 2 p.m.