Quest for the Crown presented by Hilton Norfolk The Main
Tournament Info – Friday, Aug. 29 - Saturday, Aug. 30
Location – ODU Volleyball Center (Norfolk, Va.)
Watch – ESPN+ (ODU vs. Fairfield | ODU vs. West Virginia | ODU vs. Towson)
Live Stats – ODU vs. Fairfield | ODU vs. West Virginia | ODU vs. Towson
Tickets – Click Here
Full Schedule
Friday
10 a.m. – West Virginia vs. Towson
12:30 p.m. – ODU vs. Fairfield
4:30 p.m. – Towson vs. Fairfield
7 p.m. – ODU vs. West Virginia
Saturday
1 p.m. – Fairfield vs. West Virginia
4 p.m. – ODU vs. Towson
NORFOLK, Va. – Old Dominion volleyball is set to open the 2025 season as the Monarchs host their fifth annual Quest for the Crown tournament, presented by Hilton Norfolk The Main, at the ODU Volleyball Center.
Friday will feature four matches, beginning with a 10 a.m. meeting between West Virginia and Towson. ODU will then host Fairfield at 12:30 p.m., the Stags and Tigers take the court at 4:30 p.m., and the Monarchs cap off the first day at 7 p.m. against the Mountaineers.
On Saturday, Fairfield and WVU will play at 1 p.m. and ODU will then take on Towson at 4 p.m. Live stats will be available for each match and all three of ODU's matches will be streamed on ESPN+.
All Quest for the Crown matches where ODU is not competing will be free admission with doors opening 60 minutes before the start of the first match of the day. Single-game admission is $12 including fees for adults with discounts available for seniors, military and ODU faculty and staff. Youth ages 12 and under will be admitted free, and current ODU students are admitted free with a valid ODU ID. Tickets bought during the day will be valid throughout that day if shown to ticket staff at the entrance.
Additionally, Volley Alley will open at 3 p.m. on Friday and at noon on Saturday.
About ODU
The Monarchs are coming off a 2024 season that saw them finish 16-11 overall and 5-9 in Sun Belt play. ODU brings back three of its top four leaders in kills: Elisa Maggi finished second on the team with 288, LeeAnne Lowery was third with 186, and Bryanna Jones was fourth with 175. Also returning is libero Kate Kilpatrick, who led the team with 391 digs. The top three servers are also back in Maggi (37 aces), Emma Schelah (31 aces), and Kilpatrick (27 aces). On defense, Lowery and Schelah recorded 104 and 97 blocks, respectively.
Joining the seven returners are six newcomers for this season. Wiktoria Zagumny comes to Norfolk from Chicago State, where she was named the Northeast Conference Setter of the Year and an All-NEC First Teamer last year. The Monarchs also added transfers Kyra Hampton (Virginia Tech) and Taylor Motes (Arkansas State) and true freshmen Maddy Eslinger, Katie Rakoski, and Rita Benidio.
Head Coach Fred Chao is entering his sixth season leading the Monarchs.
About Fairfield
The Stags went 21-12 in 2024 with a 17-1 mark in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference. Fairfield captured its sixth consecutive MAAC regular season title and also won its second straight MAAC Championship, defeating Quinnipiac 3-1, but fell 3-0 to No. 7 Wisconsin in the first round of the NCAA Championship. Nancy Somera was voted MAAC Coach the Year and six Stags earned All-MAAC honors.
Fairfield is the preseason favorite to win the MAAC and the trio of Allie Elliott, Mamie Krubally, and Maya Walker were named to the Preseason All-MAAC Team. Somera starts her third season with the program, and this weekend will mark the first meeting between the Stags and the Monarchs.
About West Virginia
The Mountaineers posted an 8-21 record with a 2-16 mark against Big 12 opponents. WVU has eight returners and eight newcomers. Cassidy Tanton paced the offense last season with 310 kills and a team-high 34 aces, Maddy McGrath was third in kills with 247, and setter Alexis Finnvold tallied 586 assists. Laila Ibrahim and Maddy McGrath combined for 184 blocks, and Tanton had the second-most digs with 217.
West Virginia is led by second year Head Coach Jen Greeny and the team was picked to finish 15th in the Big 12 Preseason Poll. ODU and WVU have previously met three times, with the Mountaineers ahead 2-1 in the all-time series. The Monarchs won the last meeting 3-0 on Sept. 14, 2023 in Morgantown.
About Towson
The Tigers reached the semifinals of last year’s Coastal Athletic Association Championship and finished the season 24-6 overall and 14-4 in conference action. Towson has been picked to finish third in the CAA this year. Middle blocker Erin Brothers and libero Sydney Stewart garnered Preseason All-CAA nods. The team also has three transfers and six freshmen.
Head Coach Don Metil is in his 13th season with the Tigers and is the program’s all-time winningest coach at 269-88. This weekend will also mark the first meeting between ODU and Towson.
Up Next
ODU will make the trip up to Baltimore, Maryland next week to play in a tournament hosted by UMBC. The Monarchs will open with a 10 a.m. match versus William & Mary next Friday, then take the court against Maryland that afternoon at 3:30 p.m. Old Dominion and the host Retrievers wrap up the tournament next Saturday at 4 p.m.