The Shadow
HARRISONBURG, Va. (VR) – After falling behind two sets to one, James Madison volleyball battled back to take the final two sets, securing a 3-2 victory over Coastal Carolina on Saturday afternoon at the Convocation Center.
JMU (11-11, 6-6 SBC) opened Saturday’s Halloween home match grabbing a 25-21 set one win before CCU (10-12, 5-7 SBC) responded by taking the following sets, 28-26 and 25-18. Finding themselves down 15-11 in the fourth set, the Dukes strung together a 14-6 scoring swing to take the frame 25-21 and force a fifth. In the finale, JMU pushed their way to a 15-13 set five win, securing the victory over CCU.
Kennedy Louisell led the Dukes with 36.5 points from 34 kills. Louisell finished the weekend recording 30 or more points in both matches. She also tallied 12 digs today, marking her second straight double-double performance.
JMU recorded a .320 team hitting percentage while CCU posted a .288 rate. At the net, the Dukes won the block battle, 14-11. Today’s victory snapped James Madison’s six-game losing streak.
The Dukes return to the Convocation Center to host ODU on Nov. 6th and 7th in the final home matches of the season.
How We Got Here
Set One – JMU 25, Coastal Carolina 21
-JMU got off to a hot start to open the second match of the Halloween weekend series.
-Built off an early 7-2 advantage, JMU was the first team to 15, up six points.
-Powered by a team-high 5.5 first-set points from Ayen Nhial, the Dukes took set one, 25-21.
Set Two – JMU 26, Coastal Carolina 28
-Saturday’s second set was neck and neck early on. Before either team reached double digits, the frame featured five ties and two lead changes.
-Built by a 3-0 scoring run, CCU reached the 15-point mark first, holding a 15-13 lead.
-JMU battled to the very end, but Coastal Carolina did just enough to secure a 28-26 set win.
Set Three – JMU 18, Coastal Carolina 25
-It was CCU early on in set three, with the visitors jumping out to a 10-5 advantage.
-JMU fought till the very end, however, the Dukes were unable to take a lead.
-JMU fell, 25-18.
Set Four – JMU 25, Coastal Carolina 21
-After opening the set up 2-0, a five-point scoring flurry by the visitors gave CCU an early 5-2 advantage.
-The Dukes would trail closely behind the visitors, but CCU held a firm lead throughout.
-At the media break, Coastal Carolina held a 15-11 advantage.
-Taking it one volley at a time, JMU strung together a 14-6 run to take set four, 25-21.
Set Five – JMU 25, Coastal Carolina 21
-The final set of the weekend was back and forth throughout.
-Featuring 12 ties and four lead changes, the teams traded scores until a late 2-0 Dukes’ run secured JMU the win.
Match Notes
-Louisell has had four matches this season with 30 or more points. Her double digit kill streak is now 53 consecutive matches.
–Lindsey Large led the team with a career-high 32 assists.
– Nhial finished the day with a season-high 15.5 points. She also recorded a team-high nine blocks today.
