BALTIMORE – Old Dominion volleyball collected its first win of the season after a five-set battle against UMBC on Saturday in Baltimore, Md.
“It feels good to get the first win of the season,” ODU head coach Fred Chao said. “We found ourselves facing similar challenges in this match, but this time we finally battled through them together. We were able to build confidence and play the way we have been training. We still have work to do, but finishing the weekend with a win was a great way to celebrate Wik’s birthday.”
ODU 3, UMBC 2
The Monarchs (1-5) exchanged points with the Retrievers (1-3) to open the first set, curtsey of a pair of kills from ODU’s Rita Benidio and UMBC’s Laura Fuehrer. Nearing the end of the first set, UMBC found its rhythm and after a service error, grabbed two-straight kills to put the Retrievers up 22-19. Emma Schelah helped get ODU’s momentum back with a kill, allowing the Monarchs to go on their own three-point run following one more UMBC point and tie the match at 23. In one last battle for the first point of the match, ODU got on the board with a 29-27 win following another kill from Schelah and an attack error.
UMBC came out ready in the second set, going up 15-9 halfway through the set following a pair of kills from Retriever Jalynn Brown and an attack error from ODU. The Monarchs responded quickly, going on a four-point run with two kills coming from Benidio and eventually allowing ODU to tie the match at 18. After exchanging points, a Jada James kill would help the Retrievers get on the board with a 26-24 win following a set-ending attack error.
The Retrievers entered the third set in similar fashion to the second, getting to 20 points before ODU could reach double digits. Despite a late three-point run, Old Dominion was unable to close the margin and a service error from Benidio gave UMBC a 25-14 victory, putting them one set away from clinching the match
ODU was unwilling to go home, going up 18-12 halfway through the match after a four-point run. While UMBC was able to get a few more points in, ODU ultimately pulled away following a service error, forcing a fifth set.
The Monarchs opened the last set with a three-point run, curtsey of kills from Elisa Maggi and Bryanna Jones. Another run would put ODU up 11-8, and while the Retrievers responded with their own kills, Jones solidified the Monarchs' 15-13 win with a kill, giving them the match.
Maggi led the Monarchs in kills with 20 and came in second with 11 digs as Kate Kilpatrick led the team with 12. LeeAnne Lowery led defensively with five blocks, while Wiktoria Zagumny had a team-high 46 assists.
Up Next
The Monarchs will be back in Norfolk next weekend when they host the Old Dominion Invitational. ODU will play Delaware on Friday, Sept. 12 at 6:30 p.m. and Villanova on Sunday, Sept. 14 at 2 p.m. The Blue Hens and Wildcats will also play at 2 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 13.