Building off their strong start to the season, Coastal Carolina swept Old Dominion, 3-0, on both days of their two-game series.
The opening set of game one on Friday night was scrappy, but Coastal quickly found their rhythm.
Outside hitter Anzley Rinard set the tone by delivering an ace on the first serve of the match.
Midway through, Coastal was leading 16-6, forcing Old Dominion to burn through both of their timeouts before ultimately falling 25-16 and ending with 17 kills.
Coastal won the final set of the night 25-22.
Middle blocker Anna Rita feels confident going into tomorrow’s game after their clean sweep tonight, ending the match with five kills and only two errors.
“We’re prepared we just have to see what they will do differently and start from the beginning,” Rita said. “We played really well and executed what we wanted to, so I think we just have to keep that.”
Coastal came in strong for the second match against Old Dominion.
The first set of game two saw both teams come in with intensity, throwing up blocks and attacking the ball aggressively.
At the beginning of the first set, Old Dominion challenged Coastal for a net violation, grasping for a victory but lost the challenge and finished the first set losing 17-25.
Starting the second set, Old Dominion pushed against Coastal, keeping the score close.
Coastal won the second set 27-25 with determination.
“It’s just a little bit of grit and just wanting that ball up. Like you want that point. You’ve got to keep the ball up to do that. Just going for it,” said setter Ava Wallis.
In the last set, the momentum continued, and the defense on both sides rallied.
Despite Old Dominion’s aggressive play, Coastal won all three matches.
Libero Bailee Earnhardt was one of the passing leaders throughout the game. She mentioned it is key to maintain ball control under pressure.
“Keep the ball nice and high and just don’t do anything crazy,” Earnhardt said.
The CCU volleyball team will look to keep this winning streak, while also pushing for improvements.
“In sweet fashion, I’m thankful. I’m excited, but I know we still have a lot of work to do,” said CCU head coach Steve Loeswick.
The Chants are set to play their next match Thursday where they will face Georgia State away at 6 p.m.
