Old Dominion (11-2, 0-0 Sun Belt) vs. Coastal Carolina (6-7, 2-0 Sun Belt)
Match Info – Friday, Oct. 4 at 6 p.m.
Saturday, Oct. 5 at 2 p.m.
Location – ODU Volleyball Center (Norfolk, Va.)
Watch – ESPN+ (Friday | Saturday)
Live Stats – Friday | Saturday
NORFOLK, Va. – Old Dominion volleyball begins a four-match homestand this weekend as Costal Carolina travels up from Conway for two days of play.
The Monarchs will take on the Chanticleers in the ODU Volleyball Center beginning on Friday, Oct. 4 at 6 p.m. with the second match being played on Saturday, Oct. 5 at 2 p.m. Both matches will be streamed on ESPN+ with live stats also available.
Friday and Saturday will also mark the team’s Monarchs Give Back weekend, a campus and community-wide food drive aimed at benefitting Norfolk Public Schools children experiencing food insecurity. Fans who bring a non-perishable item will receive free admission. A full list of acceptable items can be found on the Monarchs Give Back website.
Series History
ODU is 1-3 against Coastal Carolina as they head into their fifth and sixth meetings. The Monarchs claimed the first ever game between the two programs with a 3-1 win on Oct. 14, 2022 in Norfolk. The Chanticleers tried to keep the match close, coming back from a 25-12 loss in the first set to win the second with a similar score of 25-15. However, the Monarchs would go on to win the next two sets with scores of 25-19 and 25-22.
The Chanticleers would win the second match of that series with a 3-1 score, and it was another year before the two teams met again. On Oct. 13, 2023 in Conway, ODU lost in five sets in a very back-and-forth match. Both teams bounced between who had the lead, with the Chants taking the first set 25-22 while the Monarchs took the next two with 25-21 and 25-20 scores. Coastal Carolina would force a fifth set after taking the fourth 25-17, and ODU would lose a close one in the final set 15-13.
Similarly to the first time the two teams met, Coastal Carolina would take the second game of the series with a 3-1 score.
Between the four matches, the Chants led in kills (232-210) and assists (218-200) while the Monarchs led in blocks (42-28).
About ODU
The Monarchs (11-2, 0-0 Sun Belt) are looking to open Sun Belt play after their two matches at Georgia Southern last week were canceled due to Hurricane Helene. Their eight-match win streak still holds strong after a pair of 3-0 weekends at the George Mason Invite and Old Dominion Invitational. Between the two tournaments, Ashlynn Belcher, Elisa Maggi, Myah Conway, Hailee Blankenship, and Kate Kilpatrick were named to the All-Tournament teams, with Conway also winning tournament MVP for the Old Dominion Invitational.
Conway and Belcher are both ranked third in the Sun Belt Conference for total kills (168) and assists (373) respectively. Conway’s hitting percentage at .369 is the fourth best in the conference while LeeAnne Lowery places fifth for total blocks with 57.
Old Dominion is ranked second in four different categories in the Sun Belt, including team service aces (94) and team kills (664). Their 1.84 aces per set is also the 39th best in the nation.
About Coastal Carolina
The Chanticleers (6-7, 2-0) are coming off back-to-back sweeps against Marshall at the HTC Center. In the first match, Jalyn Stout and Emily Fowler both accounted for nine kills while Valentina Varani led the team in assists with 18. In the second match, Coastal Carolina led Marshall in kills (44-29), blocks (10-6), and assists (42-29). Stout had a triple-double with 18 kills, 16 digs, and 13 assists, and was later named the Sun Belt Conference Offensive Player of the Week.
Stout leads her team in assists and kills with 220 and 151 respectively, and she is also ranked first in both the conference and the nation in triple-doubles with six so far this season. On the defensive end, Dilara Unal leads the team in blocks with 41 while Sydney Lewis leads in digs with 155, which is also the 13th best in the conference.
Coastal Carolina is in the top 10 for seven different categories in the Sun Belt Conference, including teams kills (560), assists per set (11.36), and team assists (534).
The Chants were picked to place second in the Sun Belt’s East Division in the Preseason Coaches’ Poll, where Stout was also named to the Preseason All-Sun Belt Team. Coastal Carolina captured both the regular-season and conference championship titles last season.
Up Next
ODU will stay in Norfolk as App State comes into town next Friday, Oct. 11 and Saturday, Oct. 12 for what will mark ODU’s Dig Pink Weekend. Together with the ODU chapter of Zeta Tau Alpha, the Monarchs will be selling T-shirts with proceeds helping support the Side-Out Foundation and its mission to research and fight metastatic breast cancer. Fans can pre-order T-shirts here or donate to the Side-Out Foundation here.