Good morning! Yesterday, Star Wars fans celebrated the annual “May the 4th Be With You” holiday. Today the celebration continues with “Revenge of the 5th.” There aren’t many duos in movie history more iconic than Han Solo and Chewbacca but… the women’s volleyball team just received commitments from a pair of stars for next year’s class.

(Unfortunately, they won’t be piloting the Millennium Falcon. But they’re currently charting a course for a national championship.)

Here’s what we’ve got cooling off in today’s Brew:

🏐 Coach Fred Chao welcomes a pair of newbies
🥍 Senior moment for Katie McGrain
👑 And much, much more!

📈 STOCK UP 

🔼 Committed To The Crown. Old Dominion women’s volleyball head coach Fred Chao announced the signing of Alice Munari and Bryanna Jones ahead of the 2023 season. Both players join a freshmen class that includes Elisa Maggi, Kate Kilpatrick, and Adrienne Peji who committed in November.

Coach Fred Chao is excited for both to join the squad and envisions them getting on the court earlier and often.

“Both Alice and Bryanna will have immediate impacts in our gym. Alice is an experienced outside hitter who reads the game and has the tools to respond to difficult situations. Offensively, she has a balance of power, speed and tactics that will earn us points from the pins… Bryanna is an explosive athlete who will be a force on the court. She can generate power in a small space and covers a lot of court defensively.”

🔼 Going Against The McGrain. Even though the women’s lacrosse season ended this past weekend, that doesn’t mean our Monarchs can’t be recognized for their outstanding accomplishments. Katie McGrain was named to the American Athletic Conference second team this week. She was a team captain for the Monarchs this season and started every game for the ODU as a defensive specialist—causing 23 turnovers, picking up 43 ground balls, and collecting two draw controls.

📰 Extra Extra: The senior plans on returning for her fifth season to help lead the team and the defense once again!

🔼 Come Sail Away. What an accomplishment for the women’s sailing who’s qualified to compete in two championships this month. First, they’ll take on the Women’s Fleet Race National Championship on May 23-26 and then The Open Fleet Race National Championship starting May 30. The last race ODU competed in was last weekend, where they placed seventh in the America Trophy Conference Championship.

🔼 Looking Forward. The Monarchs took an early 2-1 lead against the Flames in their midweek matchup but lost a heartbreaker as Liberty walked it off in the bottom of the ninth to win 3-2. It’s a short road to redemption, however, as Monarchs start a three-game series with conference opponent Arkansas State—the first time both programs play each other in school history.

💫 Silver Lining: On the bright side, Thomas Wheeler is heating up in the batter’s box. He went 2-for-3 against Liberty, and drove in both runs.

🤔 MONARCH TRIVIA

The reign is over. One of Old Dominion’s greatest athletes, Alex DeJohn, has called it a career. The long-time MLS and European soccer star has decided to retire after ten seasons and 165 professional games.

Who was the team that drafted Alex DeJohn when he entered the MLS?

Think you got it? Scroll down to the bottom of this email for the answer!

👑 ONE BIG THING

Royal Treatment. The state has schools like Virginia and Virginia Tech that have been in the spotlight of the NFL in the past. It must be a changing of the guard because in 2023, no school from Virginia had more draft picks than Old Dominion.

The path to the pros looks like it runs through Norfolk.

📬 STICK WITH US

Did someone send you the Monarch Brew? Subscribe here and get it in your inbox every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday morning just in time for your first cup of coffee!

📅 THE DAY AHEAD

Friday 5/5:

🎾 Women’s Tennis vs. South Carolina @ 2:00pm ET in NCAA Tournament | Live Video | Live Stats | Preview

⚾ Baseball at Arkansas State @ 7:00pm ET on ESPN+ | Live Video | Live Audio | Live Stats

Saturday 5/6:

🎾 Men’s Tennis vs. Utah @ 10:00am ET in NCAA Tournament | Live Video | Live Stats | Preview

⚾ Baseball at Arkansas State @ 4:00pm ET on ESPN+ | Live Video | Live Audio | Live Stats

Sunday 5/7:

⚾ Baseball at Arkansas State @ 12:00pm ET on ESPN+ | Live Video | Live Audio | Live Stats

🎉 TRIVIA ANSWER

Answer: The New England Revs, 2012

Along with New England, DeJohn spent time with Orlando City and Atlanta United. In Europe, he spent time with four different clubs. Congratulations to DeJohn and his career!

Have a great weekend, y’all!