Over the weekend, ODU volleyball held a two-match conference series against App. State, marking the conclusion of their homestand. Following a 3-1 loss on Friday, the Lady Monarchs rebounded, achieving a series split with a 3-0 victory on Saturday.

The matches were conducted at the ODU Volleyball Center, where the Monarchs hosted the Mountaineers for their second Sun Belt Conference series of the season. App. State arrived in Norfolk with a three-match win streak, which followed the cancellation of their matches against Louisiana due to Hurricane Helene.

App. State opened the first set strongly with help from Lulu Ambrose and Elise Marchal’s kills, and a later 4-0 run from the Mountaineers would bring the set to its halfway point with a 17-9 score. The Monarchs couldn’t respond, and while a service error and a kill from Alice Munari would postpone App. State’s win, an attack error would eventually end the set in the Mountaineers’ favor, 25-18.

Numerous 3-0 runs would help the Monarchs claim the second set as theirs, though several attack errors would affect both teams throughout. Three consecutive attack errors from App. State’s Bella Hutchens would give the Monarchs a steady 19-14 lead, and while the Mountaineers would fight back to keep the score close, back-to-back kills from Myah Conway would give ODU a 25-23 win.

There would be five lead changes by the time the third set reached its halfway point with App. State up 14-13, though a 4-0 run from the Mountaineers would almost secure the match as theirs. At match point, the Monarchs were able to nag two more points to try and catch up to the Mountaineers, though a kill from Ambrose would give App. State a 25-22 victory.

The Mountaineers kickstarted the fourth set with a 5-0 run, giving them an early 7-1 lead, before another 6-0 run at the midway point thanks to two service errors and a couple of kills would bring App. State up a convincing 17-6. The Monarchs would only claim five more points before a 3-0 run would end the set in the Mountaineers’ favor, 25-11, and give them the match.

The Monarchs led in digs and assists in the first match with 57 and 42 respectively, while the Mountaineers led in kills with 44 and blocks with 12. Ashlynn Belcher and Addison Heidemann led their teams in assists with 30 and 34 respectively, while Kate Kilpatrick and Kenady Roper had 14 and 11 digs.

ODU started the second match with a dominant 6-0 run, made possible by two service aces and kills from Conway and Bryanna Jones. The Mountaineers would only score three more points before another 4-0 run from the Monarchs, and by the halfway point, ODU led 16-8. App. State struggled to get anything rolling offensively, and a concluding 3-0 run from the Monarchs would give them the first set with a 25-13 score.

The second set started out in a similar fashion, as ODU took an early 9-2 lead, though the Mountaineers would try to close the gap with numerous 3-0 runs into the midway point. Up 20-16, the Monarchs went on a 5-0 run courtesy of attack errors and kills from Alice Munari, Maggi, and Conway, giving the second set to ODU.

App. State came out ready to play in the third set. Points were traded back and forth, though once the score was tied at seven, ODU went on a 5-0 run that would give them the lead for the remainder of the set. Similarly to the first set, the Mountaineers were unable to get something convincingly rolling, and while they did nag two points to prevent ODU from claiming the set when they reached match point, a kill from Lowery would give the Monarchs the set with a 25-21 score, sweeping the Mountaineers. 

ODU led in every statistical category, though most dominantly in blocks (8-1) and aces (8-2). They had 11 more assists and digs than App. State with 45 and 49 respectively. On the offensive end, Belcher and Jones led both teams in assists and kills with 37 and 14 respectively, while defensively Emma Schelah had six blocks.

Even though ODU’s 10-match win streak came to an end, this split series ties the Monarchs and the Mountaineers at second place in the eastern division in the Sun Belt with 3-1 records.

The Monarchs will hit the road for the remainder of the month, beginning with a road trip to Atlanta where they will take on Georgia State. The Panthers are fifth in the eastern division, with a 1-3 conference record and 10-8 overall record. ODU has never lost to Georgia State, up 4-0 in the series since they first played each other in November 2022. Both matches against the Panthers are on Friday and Saturday at 6 and 2 p.m.