NORFOLK, Va. – Old Dominion volleyball fell to ULM in its regular season finale by a 3-1 score on Saturday afternoon at the ODU Volleyball Center.
The Monarchs end the regular season at 7-20, including 3-13 in the Sun Belt. The team also recognized seniors Adrienne Peji, Elisa Maggi, and Wiktoria Zagumny before the match.
“Disappointed that we didn’t get the win,” said ODU head coach Fred Chao. “We started too slow and ran out of points to finish the comeback. But today was about our seniors, who I will miss dearly. They have contributed so much through the years. I am so grateful to have been their coach.”
In addition to the trio, the Monarchs also thanked associate head coach Becca Lamb, who will be stepping away from coaching.
“We will also miss Coach Becca, as she changes gears to focus on her home family as opposed to her volleyball family. She has been the perfect partner in this program build and her influence will always be a part of ODU Volleyball,” added Chao.
ULM 3, ODU 1
An early eight-point run from ULM (10-20, 4-12 Sun Belt) put them up 9-3, thanks to four kills and three Old Dominion (7-20, 3-13 Sun Belt) errors. By the halfway point, the Warhawks collected a 15-7 lead after both teams went through errors. While the Monarchs tried to break up ULM’s momentum with kills from Emma Schelah, Elisa Maggi, and Leilani Lawrence, the Warhawks eventually pulled away after three-straight points on kills from Kenzie Behl, Aniya Hall, and Abby Cunningham, awarding ULM with a 25-13 set win.
Points were exchanged to begin the second set, until a four-point ULM run gave the Warhawks a 15-13 lead at the halfway point. Maggi tied the set at 15-15 with a kill and service ace, though two three-point runs from ULM gave them the lead back at 21-16. ODU fought hard with kills to keep the score close, but were unable to stop the Warhawks, as Aniya Hall recorded the set-winning kill to grab another set, 25-21.
ULM took an early 5-2 lead in the third set thanks to an ace from Tatum Clay and two more from Bre Perrin, though Old Dominion battled back and tied the score at 9-9 shortly after. thanks to a kill by Katie Rakoski. A three-point push from the Warhawks put space between the two teams, 13-10, as points continued to be exchanged. A late 10-point run from the Monarchs allowed them to regain the lead and eventually win the set 25-20, as Rakoski got it started with consecutive kills and Maggi collected two. Rita Benidio also aided in the late push with three aces.
Both teams grabbed two-point runs early in the fourth set, though the Warhawks pulled away, 11-9, after two straight kills and an Eden Petrzak service ace. Old Dominion still stayed in the match, grabbing points from kills, courtesy of Maggi and Benidio. Tied at 19-19, ULM recorded three-straight points to go up 22-20, and Old Dominion was unable to respond despite two late kills from Rakoski. The Warhawks grabbed a 25-22 set win and 3-1 match victory.
ULM had 50 kills to ODU’s 43, as well as a .197 hitting percentage as opposed to the Monarchs’ .076. Old Dominion, however, led in attacks with 157 against ULM’s 147 and served more aces, 8-6. The match featured 27 ties, with 10 in the second set and another 10 in the fourth, along with 17 lead changes.
Maggi had a team-high 10 kills and served three aces, while Benidio recorded 16 digs with nine kills and three aces as well. Katie Rakoski was third on the team with eight kills, and Kyra Hampton and Wiktoria Zagumny combined for 37 assists. Libero Ashlyn Gent also tallied 16 digs, Emma DiRicco made eight blocks, Hampton followed with five blocks, and Schelah contributed four.