NORFOLK, Va. – The first day of the 2025 Quest for the Crown wasn’t kind to Old Dominion volleyball as the Monarchs had a couple of 3-1 setbacks to Fairfield and West Virginia on Saturday at the ODU Volleyball Center.
“It was a good feeling [to be back on our home court],” said ODU Head Coach Fred Chao. “This morning we were trying to feel things out. We were able to bring Rita Benidio into the mix this evening and she made a big difference for us in our competitive level and how stable we were able to play. We didn’t put up the numbers that we need to, but we certainly played hard.”
Asked about having fans back at the ODU Volleyball Center, Chao added, “It’s exciting. As the previous match was going on, just to see people start to show up and funnel in, it was fun. It means the world to us and to the team. The support’s always been great and we just want to keep it going.”
Fairfield 3, ODU 1
After West Virginia defeated Towson 3-1 in Friday’s opening match, the Monarchs took the court for their season opener against the Stags. An Emma Schelah solo block helped build an early 4-1 ODU lead, and kills by Taylor Motes and Wiktoria Zagumny put the home team ahead, 8-4. Fairfield fought back and evened the set at 14-14, but a pair of successful attacks from Elisa Maggi and Zagumny put ODU back in front, 17-14. The Monarchs put together a late 4-0 run, highlighted by an ace by Schelah, and closed out the set for a 25-21 tally.
The second set was a battle from start to finish, but the visitors won three straight points to take a 21-19 advantage. A Fairfield attack error knotted the score at 23-23, but a Mamie Krubally kill and a Natalie Carlin service ace evened the match at a set apiece.
Fairfield put together an early 4-0 run to go up 10-6 in the third set. The Stags stretched their lead to six at 19-13, and that proved too much of a deficit for the Monarchs to overcome. Maggi put away a ball from Zagumny and Motes followed with a solo block to cut the visitor’s lead to 22-18, but Fairfield claimed another set with a 25-18 decision.
That momentum carried into the fourth set with Fairfield leading 15-8 at the midway point. Maggi scored a kill to start a 4-0 push as ODU was back to within 15-11, but the Monarchs were unable to get any closer. The Stags closed out the set with a 6-0 run and a 25-14 final.
Maggi paced the offense with 16 kills and added eight digs to her totals. Katie Rakoski scored 13 kills with 12 digs for a double-double, and Zagumny also had a double-double with 34 assists and a team-high 16 digs. On defense, Schelah recorded four blocks, LeeAnne Lowery made three, and Zagumny and Motes contributed two each. Kilpatrick was right behind Zagumny with 15 digs.
West Virginia 3, ODU 1
In ODU’s second match of the day, the Monarchs fell behind 5-1 early in the first set, but pulled even at 10-10 after an ace by Benidio and a kill from Rakoski. Down 18-15, the Monarchs secured seven of the next eight points to seize control, 22-19. The sides traded points the rest of the way and ODU came away with the set, 25-22.
The next set remained close until WVU put together an 8-2 push for a 19-12 lead. Aces from Alexis Finnvold and Cassidy Tanton helped close out the set, 25-15.
Zagumny assisted Lowery to give ODU a 16-14 lead in the third set, but the Mountaineers responded by winning eight of the next nine points. Trailing 24-19, a WVU attack error and back-to-back aces from Maggi forced a Mountaineer timeout. Out of the break, Kilpatrick assisted Benidio to get the Monarchs to within 24-23, but a Nina Horning kill clinched another set for the guests.
The two sides were tied 10 times in the fourth set. A WVU attack error allowed ODU to pull even at 14-14, but the Mountaineers pulled away with a 6-1 spurt. Kyra Hampton served a late ace and a West Virginia service error closed the gap, 21-18. However, the Mountaineers won the next four points to bring the match to a close.
Maggi finished with 13 kills, five digs, three blocks and two aces. Rakoski and Benidio chipped in eight kills each, Zagumny tallied 30 assists, and Kilpatrick’s final line included 20 digs, eight assists, and two aces.
Up Next
Day Two of the Quest for the Crown will open with a 1 p.m. match between Fairfield and WVU, followed by a 4 p.m. contest between ODU and Towson to conclude the tournament.