HARRISONBURG, Va. – Old Dominion volleyball won three straight sets to defeat James Madison, 3-1, in Harrisonburg to begin the TowneBank Royal Rivalry series on Friday night.
“Thrilled for a result that affirms all the continued work this team has put in. It was a fun match to be a part of, and I’m proud of the effort from everyone,” said ODU head coach Fred Chao.
The Monarchs improve to 6-18 overall, including 2-11 in the Sun Belt Conference.
ODU 3, JMU 1
Three straight errors from ODU and a JMU kill gave the Dukes an early 4-0 lead, one that they never lost throughout the first set. By the time James Madison reached double digits, Old Dominion was only able to score three points from errors and blocks. A four-point run from JMU brought the set past its halfway point, with the Monarchs trailing 19-6. While ODU scored 10 of the last 16 points, which included three kills from Elisa Maggi, James Madison ultimately came away with a 25-17 first set win.
Old Dominion opened the second set with two four-point runs to go up 8-3. James Madison countered with its own four-point run, and soon tied the match at nine before taking over briefly at 14-13. Two three-point runs from the Monarchs gave them a strong lead back, though the Dukes didn’t go down yet. Up 23-22, an attack error and a service ace from Maggi secured a 25-22 set two victory for ODU.
A 3-0 run opened the third set for the Monarchs, including another three-point run to bring the score to 9-3. James Madison responded shortly after, going on its own run to eventually narrow the gap to 15-12 at the halfway point. A late four-point surge from the Dukes tied the set at 21-21 thanks to kills from Anna Wilson and Kennedy Louisell, though ODU held on and pulled away from their rivals, coming away with a 25-23 win after a Leilani Lawrence kill.
The fourth set began with both teams trading points, though Old Dominion was able to briefly pull away after a three-point run to bring the set to its halfway point, 15-10. JMU responded quickly with two three-point runs to tie the set at 16, though an ODU four-point run made possible by service errors and aces put the Monarchs up 20-16. Consecutive kills from Atlyn Proctor set ODU up for the victory, which came after a JMU service error, awarding the Monarchs with a 25-19 set win and 3-1 match victory.
Both teams performed almost evenly, as ODU and JMU collected 47 kills and 65 digs each. The Dukes recorded more blocks, 12-11, and outhit the Monarchs, .144 to .139. ODU’s servers combined for 10 aces, marking the fourth time the team has served double-digit aces this season. Seven different Monarchs recorded an ace.
Lawrence led the way in kills with 18, while Maggi followed suit with eight. Hampton posted her sixth-straight match with double-digit assists as she finished the night with 29. She also had a team-high 17 digs for her second double-double this season. Emma Schelah led ODU with seven blocks, Hampton made five, and Emma DiRocco had four.
“I felt the energy throughout all of us,” Lawrence said. “We worked hard for every single point and that shows up in practice, too. We’ve been working on discipline in practice, and we showed that during the game today.”
UP NEXT
Old Dominion stays in Harrisonburg to challenge the Dukes again tomorrow at 1 p.m.