Villanova Classic
Tournament Info – Friday, Sept.6 - Sunday, Sept. 8
Location – Jake Nevin Field House (Villanova, Pa.)
Watch – FloVolleyball (ODU vs. Villanova)
Live Stats – ODU vs. Princeton | ODU vs. Loyola (Md.) | ODU at Villanova
Full Schedule
Friday
4:30 p.m. – Princeton vs. ODU
7 p.m. – Villanova vs. Loyola (Md.)
Saturday
11 a.m. – Loyola (Md.) vs. Princeton
4:30 p.m. – ODU vs. Loyola (Md.)
7 p.m. – Villanova vs. Princeton
Sunday
2 p.m. – Villanova vs. ODU
NORFOLK, Va. – Old Dominion volleyball will compete in the Villanova Classic this Friday through Saturday, Sept. 6-8, with the Monarchs set to face Princeton, Loyola (Md.) and Villanova.
The three day tournament will be played in Villanova’s Jake Nevin Field House and will begin with ODU’s match versus Princeton, set for a 4:30 p.m. start on Friday. The Monarchs will be back on the court on Saturday when they take on Loyola (Md.) at 4:30 p.m. and will round of the weekend with a 2 p.m. contest against the host Wildcats on Sunday.
The Classic will be general admission with no tickets required for entry and live stats will be available for each match. Sunday’s match against Villanova will be streamed on FloVolleyball.
About ODU
The Monarchs (3-1) went 2-1 in the fourth annual Quest for the Crown tournament with a pair of 3-0 wins over Marist and UTSA last Friday before suffering a 3-0 setback to Virginia last Saturday. ODU then got back into the win column on Tuesday night as the team defeated William & Mary, 3-2 in Williamsburg.
ODU captured the first two sets of the match, 29-27 and 25-19, but the Tribe responded with a 25-19 decision in the third set and a 27-25 win in the fourth. W&M was ahead 7-5 in the decisive set, but the Monarchs put together a 4-0 run to pull ahead, 13-9. A Bryanna Jones kill then sealed the victory at 15-12.
Ashlynn Belcher recorded her first ever double-double with career highs of 40 assist and 17 digs on Tuesday versus the Tribe. The junior setter is up to 90 assists through the team’s first four matches, averaging 6.43 per set. Myah Conway and Hailee Blankenship pace the attack and have scored 48 and 39 kills, respectively. Elisabeth Levick follows Belcher with 55 assists and Blankenship has served a team-high nine aces. On defense, Kate Kilpatrick enters the weekend with 47 digs, LeeAnne Lowery owns 17 blocks, and Conway and Emma Schelah have 12 blocks each.
About Princeton
Friday’s match with Princeton will mark the season opener for the Tigers. The team finished 14-0 overall last season with an 11-3 mark in conference play, good for second in the Ivy League. Princeton received two first-place votes and was picked to finish second in the Ivy League’s Preseason Poll as voted on by members of the media.
Leading the program in her 13th season is Head Coach Sabrina King, who has guided the Tigers to five conference titles, three NCAA Tournament appearances and has been named Ivy League Coach of the Year three times. She enters the 2024 season just seven wins away from reaching 200 for her career.
Junior Lucia Scalamandre led the Ivy League with a .408 hitting percentage in 2023 and was fifth in points per set (3.45). Also returning is Sydney Draper, who was named the conference’s Rookie of the Year last season to go along with a Second Team All-Ive League nod after leading the conference with 903 assists. Joining her on the Second Team was Kamryn Chaney, who led the Tigers with 3.86 points, 3.27 kills and 0.22 aces per set. Sydney Bold returns after tallying a team high of 375 digs a year ago.
The two programs are meeting each other for the first time on Friday.
About Loyola (Md.)
The Greyhounds (1-2) started off their 2024 campaign at UNCW’s Hampton Inn & Suites Seahawk Classic last Friday and Saturday. The team defeated Queens University of Charlotte in four sets on the first day, but fell 3-0 to the tournament hosts and 3-1 to East Carolina on Saturday.
Kacy Sekunda and Lauren Link have 30 kills each to lead the attack while Leah Hunter has served seven aces. Gabi Verdicchio and Sekunda split setting duties with 49 and 39 assists, respectively. On the other side of the net, Hunter, Sekunda and Link come into the Classic with 30 digs each. Caitlin Churney has recorded six blocks and Sekunda is not far behind with four.
The Greyhounds were picked to finish sixth in the Patriot League with Link named to the Preseason All-Conference Team. Loyola went 11-16 overall with a 6-10 record against conference opponents last season. Head Coach Alija Pittenger is in her 10th year with the program.
ODU and Loyola have met once before, a match that went to the Greyhounds 3-0 on Aug. 28, 2021 to close out the Old Dominion Invitational, the first tournament ever hosted by the Monarchs. Teresa Atilano ended up with 21 assists and four digs, Hailey Duncan scored seven kills with five blocks, and Jamie Bissmeyer totaled 19 digs.
About Villanova
The Wildcats (1-2) dropped both of their matches at Santa Clara University’s Catholic Challenge last weekend. The team dropped their season opener against the host Broncos 3-1 on Friday, then fell in straight sets to Notre Dame on Saturday. Villanova then hosted Binghamton on Wednesday and secured its first win of the season with a 3-2 victory over the Bearcats.
Abby Harrell has the team high in kills with 37, followed by Campbell McKinnon and Tara Garvey with 22 each. Setters Alyssa Nelson and Taylor Jakubowksi have combined for 98 assists while Elzabeth Feczko is the top server with three aces so far. Feczko also leads the back row with 36 digs while Ozzie Ozonoh and McKinnon have made 18 blocks between the two of them.
Harrell was named to the BIG EAST’s Preseason All-Conference Team with Villanova picked to finish eighth in the conference’s Preseason Coaches’ Poll. Head Coach Josh Steinbach is in his 18th season leading the program. Sunday’s match will also be the first ever meeting between Villanova and ODU.
Up Next
ODU has another tournament next week, the George Mason Invite, while will be held Thursday through Saturday, Sept. 12-14 in Fairfax, Virginia. The Monarchs will play the host Patriots at 6 p.m. on the first day, Quinnipiac at 4 p.m. the next day, and Navy in an 11:30 a.m. match on the third day.