Good Morning Monarchs. And a good morning it is indeed!

Protecting the House is more than just a slogan from UnderArmour, it’s a way of life for our ODU Monarchs.

Anytime anyone comes to Norfolk, the Blue and White put their best foot forward to defend the home turf and that’s exactly what they did this past weekend three different times.

What a weekend it was for the Monarchs on the court and on the pitch! We’ve got all the details.

Oh yeah and…. FOOTBALL IS BACK THIS WEEK!

What else can we stir into today’s edition of the Brew? Check it out!

🏐 Holding Court
⚽️ Connect Four
🎙 Coach Rahne Radio Show - TONIGHT
👑 And much, much more!

📈 STOCK UP

🔼 Holding Court. Notice is served.

In just its fourth season, the ODU volleyball program has officially put everyone on notice after a dominating 2-0 weekend at home in front of raucous crowds with wins over VCU (3-1 on Friday) and Norfolk State (3-0 on Saturday).

It’s the first 2-0 start in program history.

Freshman Bryanna Jones earned Tournament MVP as the Monarchs won the Quest for the Crown. She was joined by classmate Elisa Maggi, senior Teresa Atilano and junior Myah Conway.

The Monarchs’ youngsters made quite a first impression in their opening collegiate weekend. Offensively, Jones paced the attack with 29 kills (4.14 per set) and 32 points (4.57 per set) while swinging for a .333 hitting percentage. Maggi had 10 kills with a .588 clip against the Spartans. On the other side of the net, libero Kate Kilpatrick anchored the back row with 26 digs (3.71 per set).

Next up for the Monarchs? Another in-state rival, William & Mary on Tuesday night at the ODU Volleyball Center.

🔼 Connect Four. This is the 30th season of ODU women’s soccer.

Prior to this year, the Monarchs had won the first four games of a season three times. Prior to this year, ODU had posted four or more straight shutouts, you guessed it, three times.

Make it four, in both categories.

The Blue and White defended home turf on Sunday evening and made it a perfect of the “City of Richmond” squads with a 1-0 victory in front of nearly a 1,000 at the ODU Soccer Complex.

In the 10th minute, freshman Ashlynn Kulha found the back of the net off a corner kick from sophomore Andrea Balcazar Algarin and it proved to be enough as the ODU defensive unit would once again stifle the opposition.

It marks the first time since 2008 that ODU has won the first four games of the season with the best start coming in 2006 when the Monarchs started the year a perfect 8-0.

The longest streak of consecutive shutouts is five, accomplished in both 2018 and 2021.

🔼 Buffalo Or Bust - TONIGHT. It’s GAME WEEK!

ODU Football is in action THIS WEEK, which means Coach Rahne will be on the mic for the first edition of the Ricky Rahne Coach’s Show at a brand new location this year, The Dirty Buffalo!

The Ricky Rahne Coach's Show will have a new day and locations this year, as the show will air every Monday during the season. The first six shows will be live at the Dirty Buffalo on Colley Avenue in Norfolk, while the final six will be on location at the Dirty Buffalo in Chesapeake.

Hosted by Ted Alexander, the voice of ODU athletics, the show is carried live on Priority Auto Sports Radio 94.1 in Hampton Roads and is available on ESPNRadio941.com.

🔼 Turf Wars. To be the best, you gotta beat the best.

That’s the motto for the ODU field hockey team and it usually proves to be quite a challenge. The Monarchs faced one of those challenges in the 2023 season opener with perennial NCAA Tournament contender, Delaware, visiting Norfolk, and defeating the Blue and White, 4-2 on Sunday afternoon.

ODU outshot the Blue Hens, 18-9, but a 3-0 deficit proved to be too much for the Monarchs to overcome.

Next up is a weekend trip to Michigan featuring showdowns with Central Michigan and UM.

🔼 GAME WEEK. The long wait is over. Game week is officially HERE.

A trip to Blacksburg awaits the Monarchs this week and leading the charge will be junior QB Grant Wilson as Coach Rahne announced that Wilson, a Fordham transfer, will start on Saturday for the Blue and White.

I think we all remember what happened last season when these two teams matched up.

Now, we’re taking that challenge on the road to Lane Stadium.

🎥: Coach Rahne’s Media Day Availability
📸: Practice Makes Perfect
🎥: The Countdown Is On

🏈 GET IN THE GAME

A limited number of premium seats are available in the Priority Automotive Club for the 2023 football season!

Purchase Premium Seats for 2023 Season as we host Wake Forest, Appalachian State and Coastal Carolina and have first right of refusal for 2024 season when we host Virginia Tech, JMU, East Carolina and more!

For more information, email Ashley Vellines at [email protected] or call the ODAF Office at 757-683-6963.

🤔 MONARCH TRIVIA

This year was the third annual Quest for the Crown tournament in Norfolk.

With ODU going 2-0 in the tournament, the Monarchs won the weekend event for a second time in two seasons, matching the result from 2021.

Which three teams did ODU defeat back in 2021?

Got a guess?

Scroll down to the bottom of this email and see if you had the right answer!

📅 ON TAP THIS WEEK

Monday, August 28
⚽ Men’s Soccer at UMBC @ 7:30pm | Live Video | Live Stats

Tuesday, August 29
🏐 Volleyball vs. William & Mary @ 5pm | Live Video | Live Stats

Thursday, August 31
⚽ Women’s Soccer at Virginia Tech @ 5pm

Friday, September 1
🏑 Field Hockey at Central Michigan @ 1pm
🏐 Volleyball vs. Maryland (at Navy) @ 4pm

Saturday, September 2
🏐 Volleyball vs. Utah Valley (at Navy) @ 11am
🏐 Volleyball at Navy @ 7pm
🏈 Football at Virginia Tech @ 8pm | Live Audio

Sunday, September
🏑 Field Hockey at Michigan @ 12pm
⚽ Women’s Soccer vs. William & Mary @ 6pm | Live Stats

📬 STICK WITH US

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🎉 TRIVIA ANSWER

Answer: Radford, Buffalo and Norfolk State

ODU rolled through the three opponents back in 2021 with a 3-1 win over the Highlanders, 3-1 over Buffalo and clean 3-0 victory over Norfolk State.

🦁 Keep the momentum going this week Monarchs!