NORFOLK, Va. – Katie Rakoski scored three kills to highlight a late 5-0 run as Old Dominion volleyball opened its Dig Pink Weekend with a 3-2 win over Georgia State on Friday night at the ODU Volleyball Center.
“We’ve been working really hard in spite of some of the results we’ve had, but being back home really helps a lot,” said ODU head coach Fred Chao.
Asked about what was working for his team late in the match, Chao praised his setter.
“Wiktoria [Zagumny] is really good. She makes really good decisions, she locates the ball well, and she allowed the hitters to function and have confidence in their approaches. She offered them a variety of shots, so it was just up to our attackers to choose the right shot.”
ODU 3, GSU 2
The Panthers (10-8, 1-6 Sun Belt) had a 4-2 lead in the decisive set, but a Rita Benidio service ace capped off a 4-0 response that gave the Monarchs (4-14, 1-6) control, 6-4. GSU wouldn’t go away though as an ODU service error and a Myllena Torquetti ace had the visitors back within a point at 8-7. The sides continued to trade points as GSU’s Maria Cecilia de Pinho and Jayden Eaker made a block to cut ODU’s lead to 10-9. The Monarchs used a timeout, and that seemed to shift all of the momentum back to the home team. Rakoski scored three kills, Elisa Maggi added another, and GSU’s Nazli Guvener committed an attack error to bring the match to a close.
The Monarchs trailed 14-13 in the opening set when Wiktoria Zagumny assisted Maggi to even the score. That opened up a 6-0 ODU run that forced the Panthers to burn a timeout. The visitors would later pull even at 21-21, and Old Dominion used a timeout when an Alessia Cappai kill put GSU ahead, 24-23. After four more ties, Maggi converted a pair of attacks as ODU edged GSU, 29-27.
The second set remained close until the Panthers won four-straight points to take an 18-13 advantage. A Rakoski kill, a block by Tiana Stubbs and Rakoski, and a service ace from Maggi helped close the gap 18-17, but GSU pulled away again 21-17 and evened the match with a 25-20 decision.
ODU jumped out to a 5-0 start to the third set thanks to a solo block by Stubbs, back-to-back kills by Benidio, another block by Rakoski and Emma Schelah, and a GSU attack error. Zagumny caught the GSU defense off guard to open another 5-0 push that extended the lead to 14-5. The Panthers had a late 4-0 run of their own to claw to within 23-20, but ODU won the set 25-21 on a kill by Maggi.
The Monarchs held a narrow 14-13 lead in the fourth set, but a 6-2 swing by the Panthers allowed them to jump ahead, 19-16. A Rakoski kill and an Adrienne Peji service ace trimmed the GSU lead to 23-20, but the Panthers kept their hopes alive with a 25-21 tally.
Four different Monarchs finished with double-digit kills, led by Maggi with 19. Rakoski followed her with 14, Benidio was next with 12, and Schelah chipped in 12. Maggi added 12 digs for her third double-double of the season, while Kate Kilpatrick ended up with 19 digs and 10 assists for her first double-double of the season. Zagumny, who made her first appearance since Sept. 20 versus Wake Forest, set a new season best with 49 assists. Peji tallied 11 digs, Stubbs made eight blocks, two of them solo, and Maggi, Schelah, and Benidio had four blocks each.
“She needed to come out, and she took that shot off the thumb, but we knew that her presence at the net was needed,” Chao said of Stubbs. “Whether or not she was going to score, it didn’t matter. She needed to go and block some balls.”
There were 33 ties in the match, including 14 in the first set, and 16 lead changes. ODU combined to hit .245 as a team while holding the Panthers to a .158 clip. The Monarchs also edged their opponent in assists (63-57) and blocks (14-12).
ODU is now up 5-2 in the all-time series. Tonight marked the third consecutive meeting that went the full five sets.
Up Next
ODU and GSU continue the Sun Belt series tomorrow with a 2 p.m. first serve.