Arkansas State volleyball wins 2024 Sun Belt regular season championship

Another balanced attack lifted the Arkansas State volleyball team to its ninth straight victory, a 3-2 (25-19, 23-25, 17-25, 25-17, 15-8) thriller at Old Dominion to win the Sun Belt 2024 to conquer. Conference regular season crown.

A-State (24-4, 14-2 SBC) battled back from a 2-1 deficit in the game to upset the Monarchs (16-11, 5-9) on Senior Night, with four players scoring 10 or more kills scored. The Red Wolves’ conference title is their first regular-season championship since a co-championship in 2016, and their first outright crown since 2015.

For the second night in a row, much of the production came from the center of the net. Daedrianna Cail led the charge with 16 kills and just one error on 22 swings to hit .682, while also having a team-high five blocks. Haley Glunz added 12 kills and four blocks. Both Kaitlin Whitlock and Grace Wiley had ten kills that night.

Defensively, Sarah Martinez collected a season-high 30 digs, matching her career best, while adding 12 assists for the double-double. Whitlock also recorded a double-double, collecting 18 digs. Erin Madigan gave A-State its third double-double artist with 24 assists and 12 digs.

The Red Wolves didn’t trail in the opening set and led by as many as eight after a kill from Glunz made it 21-3. After ODU pulled away within four hours, Abby Harris took the 25-19 set win with back-to-back kills.

In the second set, the Monarchs used a 5-0 run to break a 16 tie and ultimately maintain a 24-19 lead. The Red Wolves scored four in a row to keep the frame alive, but Emma Schelah recorded a kill to help the Monarchs level the match at a set apiece.

ODU then maintained its momentum in the third set, never trailing and taking a 2-1 lead in the match.

A-State answered in the fourth set, going on a 5-0 run to take a 14-10 lead, which was expanded to 22-14 after a block from Wiley and Glunz. Addison Collum then registered a kill to bring Scarlet and Black’s set point to 24-16, followed by one of Alice Munari’s match-high 18 kills on the night. A service error by the Monarchs would send the match into a fifth set as A-State won the fourth 25-17.

After ODU took a one-point lead early in the fifth, the Red Wolves claimed six of the next seven points to open an 8–4 lead. The hosts came within three points but Whitlock wrapped up a win with an ace, also cementing the Red Wolves at the top of the conference table.

NEXT

By winning the West Division, Arkansas State earns a bye in the first round of the Sun Belt Conference Tournament and will return to action on Friday, Nov. 22 at 4:30 p.m. against the winner of Thursday’s game between No. 4 East. seed and West No. 5 seed. The full Sun Belt Tournament bracket will be revealed Saturday.

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