NORFOLK, Va. – Old Dominion women's volleyball head coach Fred Chao announced the Monarchs’ 2026 schedule on Thursday.
The Monarchs will host two tournaments and compete in two more. ODU’s non-conference slate includes matches against teams representing the A10, ACC, American, Big 10, BIG EAST, Big South, CAA, MEAC, and the Patriot League.
“We have a strong non-conference schedule ahead of us, but I know our squad will be up for the challenge. Our focus will be on integrating our new players with our returners to find our best line up as quickly as possible. It won’t be simple but I’m excited to figure it out. With quality non-conference opponents, we should be well-prepared for the Sun Belt battles ahead,” said Chao.
Following an intersquad match on August 14 and a couple of exhibitions against VCU on August 15 and William & Mary on August 21, the program’s seventh season will begin with the sixth annual Quest for the Crown on August 28-29, which will feature Elon, Norfolk State, St. John’s, and USC Upstate. The Monarchs open the tournament against the USC Upstate Spartans and the Red Storm that Friday and the Phoenix in the final match that Saturday.
Following a midweek tilt at NSU on Tuesday, September 1, the Monarchs will travel to Rock Hill, South Carolina on September 4-5 to play in the Winthrop Invitational, where they will play Virginia Tech the first day and the host Eagles the second day.
The team will then be back at the ODU Volleyball Center on September 11-13 to host the Monarch Invitational. ODU will host Navy that Friday evening, the Midshipmen will take the court against Maryland Eastern Shore that Saturday, and the Monarchs wrap up the Invitational on Sunday against the Hawks.
ODU will round out its non-conference slate at East Carolina’s tournament on September 17-19 in Greenville, North Carolina. The Monarchs will face the host Pirates that Thursday, Campell on Friday, and Maryland on Saturday.
Sun Belt Conference action begins with the Monarchs hosting App State on September 24-25. ODU will also host Coastal Carolina (October 9-10), Marshall (October 23-24), and ULM (November 13-14) in league play. The team will hit the road for Sun Belt matches at Georgia Southern (October 2-3), Georgia State (October 16-17), conference newcomer Louisiana Tech (October 30-31), and James Madison (November 6-7).
The 2026 Sun Belt Conference Championship will be held at the Foley Events Center in Foley, Alabama on November 19-22. Winning percentage against divisional foes will be used to determine seeding for the tournament, and the top two seeds from each division will earn automatic byes to the quarterfinal round. The winner of the tournament will earn the league’s automatic bid to the NCAA Championship.
2026 Old Dominion Volleyball Schedule
| Date | Opponent | Location | Time |
| Friday, Aug. 14 | Intersquad Match | Norfolk, Va. | 6 p.m. |
| Saturday, Aug. 15 | VCU (Exhibition) | Norfolk, Va. | 2 p.m. |
| Friday, Aug. 21 | William & Mary (Exhibition) | Norfolk, Va. | 6 p.m. |
| Friday, Aug. 28 | USC Upsate^ | Norfolk, Va. | 10 a.m. |
| Friday, Aug. 28 | Elon vs. St. John's^ | Norfolk, Va. | 1 p.m. |
| Friday, Aug. 28 | USC Upstate at Norfolk State^ | Norfolk, Va. | 5 p.m. |
| Friday, Aug. 28 | St. John's^ | Norfolk, Va. | 7 p.m. |
| Saturday, Aug. 29 | St. John's vs. USC Upstate^ | Norfolk, Va. | 12 p.m. |
| Saturday, Aug. 29 | Norfolk State vs. Elon^ | Norfolk, Va. | 3 p.m. |
| Saturday, Aug. 29 | Elon^ | Norfolk, Va. | 6 p.m. |
| Tuesday, Sept. 1 | at Norfolk State | Norfolk, Va. | 6 p.m. |
| Friday, Sept. 4 | vs. Virginia Tech# | Rock Hill, S.C. | 6 p.m. |
| Saturday, Sept. 5 | at Winthrop# | Rock Hill, S.C. | 2 p.m. |
| Friday, Sept. 11 | Navy& | Norfolk, Va. | 6 p.m. |
| Saturday, Sept. 12 | Navy vs. UMES& | Norfolk, Va. | 2 p.m. |
| Sunday, Sept. 13 | UMES& | Norfolk, Va. | 2 p.m. |
| Thursday, Sept. 17 | at East Carolina@ | Greenville, N.C. | 7 p.m. |
| Friday, Sept. 18 | vs. Campbell@ | Greenville, N.C. | 2 p.m. |
| Saturday, Sept. 19 | vs. Maryland@ | Greenville, N.C. | 1 p.m. |
| Thursday, Sept. 24 | App State* | Norfolk, Va. | 6 p.m. |
| Friday, Sept. 25 | App State* | Norfolk, Va. | 6 p.m. |
| Friday, Oct. 2 | at Georgia Southern* | Statesboro, Ga. | 6 p.m. |
| Saturday, Oct. 3 | at Georgia Southern* | Stateboro, Ga. | 1 p.m. |
| Friday, Oct. 9 | Coastal Carolina* | Norfolk, Va. | 6 p.m. |
| Saturday, Oct. 10 | Coastal Carolina* | Norfolk, Va. | 2 p.m. |
| Friday, Oct. 16 | at Georgia State* | Atlanta, Ga. | 6 p.m. |
| Saturday, Oct. 17 | at Georgia State* | Atlanta, Ga. | 2 p.m. |
| Friday, Oct. 23 | Marshall* | Norfolk, Va. | 6 p.m. |
| Saturday, Oct. 24 | Marshall* | Norfolk, Va. | 2 p.m. |
| Friday, Oct. 30 | at Louisiana Tech** | Ruston, La. | 6 p.m. |
| Saturday, Oct. 31 | at Louisiana Tech** | Ruston, La. | 12 p.m. |
| Friday, Nov. 6 | at James Madison* | Harrisonburg, Va. | 6 p.m. |
| Saturday, Nov. 7 | at James Madison* | Harrisonburg, Va. | 1 p.m. |
| Friday, Nov. 13 | ULM** | Norfolk, Va. | 6 p.m. |
| Saturday, Nov. 14 | ULM** | Norfolk, Va. | 2 p.m. |
| Thursday-Sunday, Nov. 19-22 | Sun Belt Conference Championship | Foley, Ala. | TBA |
^ - Quest for the Crown
# - Winthrop Tournament
& - Monarch Invitational
@ - East Carolina Tournament
* - Sun Belt East Division
** - Sun Belt West Division
HOME MATCHES IN BOLD
Non-ODU matches in Italics
All times are Eastern