NORFOLK, Va. – Old Dominion volleyball split its first two matches on the opening day of the sixth annual Quest for the Crown, falling 3-2 to USC Upstate on Friday morning before responding with a 3-2 win over St. John’s in the evening.
“Being 1-1 is a good result today,” said ODU head coach Fred Chao, who started his seventh season at the helm of the program. “We certainly found a better level tonight against a good St. John’s team. We made some adjustments from the morning and continued to explore our roster throughout tonight’s match.”
USC Upstate 3, ODU 2
The 2026 season opener for the Monarchs (1-1) saw them take the opening set, 25-22. The Silver & Blue built an early 5-1 lead, but the Spartans (2-0) rattled off a 6-0 run in response to force an early ODU timeout. Knotted at 18-18 later in the set, kills by Elisa Maggi and Leilani Lawrence put the tournament hosts back in front, 21-18, but Old Dominion burned another timeout after a pair of attack errors cut that advantage to one point. The Monarchs staved off the visitors though as Wiktoria Zagumny assisted Maggi before Lawrence served an ace for set point.
USC Upstate pulled even in the match with a 25-23 decision in the next set. A tight battle from start to finish, a pair of Lawrence kills and a block by Rita Benidio and Emma DiRocco had ODU ahead, 23-21. The Spartans closed out the set with a 4-0 run to tie the match at a set apiece.
Trailing 7-2 early in the third set, the Monarchs went on a 10-1 run and never looked back. USC Upstate’s Emma DeSensi served an ace to get the visitors within 14-12, but that was as close as they’d get as Kyra Hampton put away a ball from Ashlyn Gent to open another 4-0 run. Hampton assisted Lawrence to cap off the set at 25-19 and the Monarchs took a 2-1 lead in the match.
With ODU up 12-11 in the fourth set, USC Upstate earned eight-straight points to pull ahead. The Monarchs were unable to recover, and the Spartans forced a fifth set with a 25-17 tally.
Old Dominion looked like it would run away with the decisive set after jumping out to an 8-2 lead. However, USC Upstate strung together five unanswered points and later used a 6-1 swing to seize a 13-10 lead. Lawrence scored a kill to keep ODU’s hopes alive, but a service error and a block by USC Upstate’s Sophia Spivey and Tien Murray allowed the Spartans to claim the match.
Larwence finished with 19 digs, 16 kills, seven service aces, and three assists while Maggi led both teams with 19 kills and added seven digs, four blocks, and three assists to her stat line. Hampton and Zagumny had 22 and 15 assists, respectively, while DiRocco anchored the defensive effort at the net with six blocks.
There were 28 ties in the match, including 12 in the second set, and 17 lead changes.
ODU 3, Saint John’s 2
In the nightcap against the Red Storm (1-1), three-straight St. John’s attack errors and an ace by Maggi allowed ODU to overtake its opponent, 18-16. Another four kills by Lawrence and a Benidio service ace pushed the Monarch lead to 23-18. The next two rallies went to the Red Storm, but Lawrence and Emma Schelah denied a St. John’s attack attempt and Erica Duffy then assisted Lawrence for set point at 25-20.
An early 4-0 run helped St. John’s build a 5-1 start to the second set. The guests committed a service error and two attack errors as ODU narrowed the gap, 9-7. From there, the set went back-and-forth before a block by St. John’s Amanda Caputi and Chloe Bell forced an ODU timeout, 21-16. The Red Storm then closed out the set, 25-18 to pull even in the match.
The Red Storm took the third set as well, 25-21. ODU had control, 5-3 early, but St. John’s Lejla Hadiredepovic converted an attack to start a 6-1 push as the guests went up, 9-6. With ODU trailing 19-14, the Monarchs came out of a timeout with a 4-0 run to cut the deficit to one, but the Red Storm answered with a 4-0 run of their own. A couple of St. John’s errors and a kill by Schelah kept ODU in the set, 23-21, but the next two points went to St. John’s.
In the fourth set, Weronika Urbanska combined for a block, Schelah and Lawrence followed with another block, and Duffy then served an ace to give the Monarchs the lead at 10-9. A few rallies later, Old Dominion used a 6-1 push to overtake St. John’s, 18-14. Both sides traded points from there as the Monarchs forced a fifth set, 25-21.
The fifth set remained close with a Caputi service ace putting St. John’s ahead, 7-6. Lawrence then scored three-straight kills to highlight a 5-0 run that was punctuated by a Benidio service ace. Another good attack by Lawrence and an ace by Duffy increased the Monarch lead to 14-9. The Red Storm staved off match point by grabbing the next two points, but Maggi put away a ball from Duffy as the Monarchs claimed their first win of the season, 15-11.
Lawrence provided most of the offense for ODU with 30 kills, while Benidio was next with 14. The pair hit for a .219 clip and a .229 hitting percentage, respectively. Duffy racked up 44 assists with two aces and Benidio and Gent also contributed two aces each. On the defensive side of the net, Gent had 14 digs and Benidio was close behind her with 12. Schelah recorded seven blocks, Maggi chipped in five, and DiRocco made three.
“It was great to see our freshmen (Gent, DiRocco, Lawrence and Duffy) play with maturity and composure and get better each set,” added Chao. “Leilani was great tonight and carried an enormous offensive load for us. The team rallied around her efforts and made the plays we needed. Duffy stepped up as all. I am proud of how our entire team stayed together and fought throughout the day.”
There were 31 ties with 11 in the first set and 10 in the fourth. The match also featured 12 lead changes. The Monarchs edged the Red Storm in kills (62-58), assists (59-56), service aces (8-5), and blocks (10-7).
Up Next
The Quest for the Crown continues tomorrow, beginning with a noon match between St. John’s and USC Upstate. Norfolk State will then play Elon at 3 p.m., and the Monarchs will conclude the tournament with a 6 p.m. meeting with the Phoenix.