2026 Quest for the Crown
Tournament Info – Friday, Aug. 28 - Saturday, Aug. 29
Location – ODU Volleyball Center (Norfolk, Va.)
Watch – ESPN+ (ODU vs. USC Upstate | ODU vs. Elon)
Live Stats – ODU vs. USC Upstate | ODU vs. St. John’s (N.Y.) | ODU vs. Elon
Tickets – Click Here
Full Schedule
Friday
10 a.m. – ODU vs. USC Upstate
1 p.m. – Elon vs. St. John’s (N.Y.)
5 p.m. – USC Upstate at Norfolk State*
7 p.m. – ODU vs. St. John’s (N.Y.)
* Will be played at NSU’s Gill Gymnasium
Saturday
12 p.m. – St. John’s (N.Y.) vs. USC Upstate
3 p.m. – Norfolk State vs. Elon
6 p.m. – ODU vs. Elon
NORFOLK, Va. – Old Dominion volleyball begins the 2026 season this weekend as the Monarchs host the sixth annual Quest for the Crown tournament at the ODU Volleyball Center.
Friday’s action begins with a 10 a.m. match between ODU and USC Upstate. Elon and St. John’s (N.Y.) then take the court at 1 p.m., and the Monarchs square off against St. John’s at 7 p.m. Additionally, Norfolk State will host USC Upstate for a 5 p.m. match at Gill Gymnasium.
On Saturday, St. John’s and USC Upstate will play at 12 p.m., and NSU will then face Elon at 3 p.m. ODU and Elon then round out the tournament at 6 p.m.
Live stats will be available for every match and ODU’s matches against USC Upstate and Elon 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. Youth 12 and under are free and do not need a ticket and fans over the age of 12 can buy single-game tickets for $10 (Military & ODU Faculty Staff are eligible for discounted tickets). 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. Voucher Books are also available for purchase for $50 each and contain 20 general admission vouchers that are valid for any 2026 regular season home games at the ODU Volleyball Center.
About ODU
The Monarchs finished 5-22 overall last season with a 2-14 mark against Sun Belt opponents. This year’s squad has eight returners, to include six starters from a year ago in outside hitters Elisa Maggi and Rita Benidio, rightside hitter Katie Rakoski, middle blocker Emma Schelah, setter Wiktoria Zagumny, and defensive specialist Adrienne Peji. ODU also brings back rightside hitter Taylor Motes and setter Kyra Hampton.
The team brings back its top-four leaders in points in 2025: Maggi led the way with 357.5, Rakoski was next with 211, Benidio followed with 192, and Schelah chipped in 179. Maggi scored a team-high 315 kills, and Rakoski racked up 195 in her rookie season. Zagumny and Hampton tallied 617 and 245 assists, respectively. Benidio and Maggi were second and third in serving with 27 and 21 aces, and Schelah led the team at the net with 73 blocks.
The Silver and Blue have eight newcomers. Outside hitters Weronika Urbanska and Atlyn Proctor are both third years who transferred in from Weatherford College and Hutchinson Community College, respectively. The six first years consist of outside hitters Leilani Lawrence and Abbey MacMillan, middle blockers Emma DiRocco and Avery Thiessen, setter Erica Duffy, and libero Ashlyn Gent.
Head Coach Fred Chao enters his seventh season leading the Monarchs. He has posted a 67-90 record through his first six seasons in Norfolk. ODU was picked to finish seventh in the East Division in this year’s Sun Belt Preseason Coaches’ Poll.
About USC Upstate
The Spartans are coming off a 2025 season that saw them go 14-14 overall and 7-7 in the Big South. USC Upstate was picked to finish third in their conference’s preseason poll behind defending champion High Point and Winthrop. Sophia Overholt was chosen as the league’s Preseason Libero of the Year while Kamyla Vega David garnered Preseason Co-Setter of the Year honors. It marks the first time in program history that a Spartan has been selected for a Preseason major award. Outside hitter Summer Kohler joined her teammates on the Preseason All-Conference Team.
Head coach Ali Skayhan enters her fourth year leading the Spartans and has gone 39-43 in her time in Spartanburg, South Carolina. Friday’s match will mark the first-ever meeting between the two programs.
About St. John’s (N.Y.)
The Red Storm went 10-19 overall and 6-10 in the BIG EAST last season. St. John’s was picked to finish eighth in the conference’s preseason coaches’ poll, and Rashanny Solano Smith earned a spot on the Preseason All-BIG EAST Team. The reigning BIG EAST Libero of the Year finished 2025 with 443 digs, ranking third in the league with 4.10 digs per set. The Red Storm brings back seven players from last year and added an incoming class of 10, consisting of five freshmen and five transfers.
St. John’s is led by head coach Joanne Persico, who is going into her 33rd season with the program and is 603-420 in her time in Queens, New York. Friday will mark the first time ODU and St. John’s will take the court against each other. Both head coaches also launched their respective programs.
About Elon
The 2025 campaign saw the Phoenix post a 7-20 overall record with a 5-11 mark in the CAA. Middle blocker Catherine Rucker was tabbed as a Preseason All-CAA Honorable Mention after scoring 131 kills last season, averaging 1.46 per set. She was her team’s top server with 30 aces and added 63 blocks to her season totals. Elon brings back 11 returners from last year and added four newcomers this season. Outside hitter Cameron Lanier tallied 211 kills with 240.5 points in 2025, and setters April Rice and Kayla Palmer amassed 518 and 399 assists, respectively. On defense, Shannon O’Laughlin and Casey Brower combined for 391 digs after splitting time at libero.
Head coach Matt Troy enters his second season leading the program. He has a 364-116 overall record after spending eight seasons at Johns Hopkins and six seasons at Mary Washington. ODU and Elon will meet for the first time on Saturday.
Up Next
Though ODU will not see Norfolk State this weekend, the two teams will meet next Tuesday, Sept. 1 for a 6 p.m. match at Gill Gymnasium.