Old Dominion (4-15, 0-8 Sun Belt) vs. Marshall (12-7, 5-3 Sun Belt)
Match Info – Friday, Oct. 23 at 6 p.m. | Saturday, Oct. 24 at 2 p.m.
Location – ODU Volleyball Center (Norfolk, Va.)
Watch – ESPN+ (Friday | Saturday)
Live Stats – Friday | Saturday
NORFOLK, Va. – Old Dominion volleyball returns to the ODU Volleyball Center this weekend to host a Sun Belt series versus Marshall. The Monarchs and Thundering Herd will play at 6 p.m. on Friday and at 2 p.m. on Saturday.
Both matches will be streamed on ESPN+ and live stats will also be available.
The series also marks ODU’s Dig Pink and Alumni Weekend. In support of the Side-Out Foundation, T-Shirts will be on sale at the game for $20, with free admission for those who purchase a shirt or are wearing one. Fans can also donate to the team’s campaign page here. The Monarchs will also welcome back some of their alumni this weekend.
The Series
ODU and Marshall have played 12 matches against each other, with Marshall ahead in the all-time series, 8-4. The Monarchs traveled to Huntington, West Virginia on Oct. 31 and Nov. 1 last year and dropped both matches in straight sets, 3-0 and 3-0.
In the first match, Katie Rakoski tallied 10 kills, Wiktoria Zagumny had 32 assists, alumni Kate Kilpatrick led both teams with 17 digs, and Emma Schelah made three blocks. In the second match, Schelah swung for a .500 hitting percentage and scored 12 kills with two blocks and two digs. Zagumny finished with 31 assists, Rita Benidio served three aces, Adrienne Peji served two, and Kilpatrick turned in another 17-dig performance.
About ODU
The Monarchs (4-15, 0-8 Sun Belt) dropped both of their matches at Georgia State, 3-1 and 3-1 last Friday and Saturday in Atlanta. Benidio and Rakoski paced the ODU attack throughout the series with 28 and 20 kills, respectively. Kyra Hampton posted 68 assists with four aces for the weekend, libero Ashlyn Gent had a combined 30 digs, and Emma DiRocco made 11 blocks throughout the two matches.
Leilani Lawrence leads the team with 238 kills (3.40 per set) and 281 points (4.01 per set). She is also fourth in the Sun Belt with 32 aces and 0.46 aces per set. Elisa Maggi follows Lawrence with 151 kills and 176 points, and Zagumny has gotten the most reps at setter with 314 assists (7.48 per set). Gent leads the back row with 184 digs (2.83 per set), followed by Peji with 132 (2.06 per set). Schelah and DiRocco lead the Monarchs with 58 and 53 blocks, respectively.
Head coach Fred Chao is in his seventh season leading the program and is 71-105 overall with a 20-48 record against Sun Belt opponents.
About Marshall
The Thundering Herd (12-7, 5-3 Sun Belt) split its Sun Belt series at Coastal Carolina last weekend, falling 3-2 to the Chanticleers on Saturday before sweeping CCU, 3-0 on Sunday. Marshall took the first two sets in the series opener, but Coastal pulled off a reverse sweep. In the second match, the Herd combined to hit .474 while committing just five errors. Maddie Smith led the way with 14 kills while swinging for a .636 hitting percentage.
A redshirt sophomore from Hickory, North Carolina, Smith enters the week ranked fifth in the league with 257 kills and 3.47 kills per set. Emma Barnett is next with 200 kills (2.70 per set) and has served a team-high 23 aces, though Emma Sayre is close behind her with 21 aces. Kahea Carvalho is Marshall’s primary setter with 519 assists (7.01 per set). Sayre ranks fifth in the conference with 317 digs (4.28 per set) while Beatrice Ciccarelli owns 78 blocks, to include 15 solo blocks.
Marshall comes into this weekend ranked third in the SBC in hitting percentage (.243), assists (919), and assists per set (12.42). The team is also fourth in kills (986) and kills per set (13.32) and is fifth in attacks per set (34.86), digs per set (14.45), and win percentage (.632). The Herd was picked to finish fifth in the East Division in the Sun Belt’s Preseason Coaches’ Poll, with Barnett named to the Preseason All-Conference Team. Head coach Heather Stout is in her second season at Marshall and has gone 27-22 overall and 12-12 in Sun Belt play.
Up Next
ODU will be in Ruston, Louisiana next weekend for a Sun Belt road series at Louisiana Tech. The Monarchs and Bulldogs will play at 7 p.m. ET next Friday, Oct. 30 and at 12 p.m. ET on Saturday, Oct. 31.