ROCK HILL, S.C. – After trailing two sets to none, Old Dominion volleyball forced a fifth set and jumped out to a 5-1 start, but the Monarchs could not complete the reverse sweep of Winthrop as they fell, 3-2 on Saturday afternoon in the final match of the Winthrop Invitational.
“Our team showed grit today,” said ODU head coach Fred Chao. “We knew we didn’t play our level last night and we made efforts to lock in the parts of our game that we needed. We had a better start against a strong team but still lacked some offense.”
Winthrop 3, ODU 2
The Monarchs (2-4) dug themselves a 5-1 hole to start the first set and were never able to catch the Eagles (2-2) from there. Outside hitter Leilani Lawrence and rightside hitter Katie Rakoski scored back-to-back kills to get ODU to within 13-9, but Winthrop pulled away 21-13 and held on to take the set by a 25-16 tally.
ODU had another slow start in the second set and was forced to burn an early timeout with the Monarchs down, 7-2. Three straight kills from Lawrence, Elisa Maggi, and Erica Duffy cut the deficit to 14-9, but that was as close as the team would get. The Eagles outpaced the Monarchs 9-1 down the stretch and claimed another set point, 25-12.
In the third set, Old Dominion benefitted from three consecutive Winthrop attack errors before a block by Rakoski and Emma DiRocco put the Monarchs in front, 4-1. Lawrence then had a couple of successful swings and served an ace to push that advantage to 8-3. Winthrop pulled to within 18-15, but an Emma Schelah kill opened up a 5-0 run that gave ODU some cushion, 23-15. The sides traded points late and the Monarchs kept the match going with a 25-17 total.
ODU kept its momentum going with a 7-1 start to the fourth set. Winthrop’s Lexi Thatcher assisted Paige Bennett on consecutive kills to trim the Monarch lead to 11-10. The set remained close from there, but Wiktoria Zagumny scored a kill and then served an ace to force a fifth set, 25-23.
The Monarchs forced the Eagles to take a timeout early in the fifth after ODU built a 5-1 lead. Winthrop’s Lindsay Langner served back-to-back aces though as the home team knotted the set at 5-5. Rakoski scored a ball from Zagumny and Lawrence followed with an ace as ODU regained control, 8-6, but three aces by Winthrop’s Maggie Czajka highlighted a 5-0 run that allowed the Eagles to jump ahead, 11-8. A couple of late kills from Rakoski and Lawrence got the Monarchs back to within a point at 13-12, but the Eagles held off the comeback attempt for a 15-13 final.
Lawrence finished with 18 kills and Rakoski followed with 13 to pace the ODU attack. Zagumny and Duffy tallied 23 and 14 assists, respectively, and Lawrence served three aces. Gent and Peji both made 12 digs, while Maggi was close behind the pair with 10 digs. At the net, DiRocco recorded four blocks and Lawrence and Rakoski had three each.
“Wiktoria came in and made a difference from the third set on,” continued Chao. “We were playing well the rest of the way, but it’s tough to overcome four net tape serves. We grew as a team this weekend and that will serve us well moving forward.”
There were just nine ties in the match, four of them in the decisive set, and only four lead changes. After hitting .194 in the first set and .130 in the second, the Monarchs improved their efficiency to .310 in the third set and .367 in the fourth. The Silver and Blue recorded more blocks, 9-3, but allowed 12 aces.
Up Next
ODU will host Navy and Maryland Eastern Shore in the Monarch Invitational next weekend at the ODU Volleyball Center. The Monarchs open their tournament against the Midshipmen on Friday, Sept. 11 at 6 p.m. Navy and UMES will play each other next Saturday, Sept. 12 at 2 p.m., and the Monarchs will take on the Hawks on Sunday, Sept. 13 at 2 p.m.