HARRISONBURG, Va. (JMU Athletics) – James Madison volleyball fell 3-2 to App State in a five set conference clash on Thursday night at the Convocation Center.
Competing in the first home match of the month of October, JMU (10-7, 5-2 SBC) opened tonight earning a 25-22 win prior to App State (13-8, 6-1 SBC) answering with a 27-25 set two victory. Locked at one apiece, JMU bounced back by taking set three 25-18 before the visitors from North Carolina capitalized on the Dukes’ 0.089 hitting percentage in set four and a match-low 0.043 hitting percentage in the fifth to earn 26-24 and 16-14 set victories.
The James Madison charge was led by Kennedy Louisell with 29 points, marking the 48th time she has recorded double-digit kills in her career. It was also the fourth time this season that she tallied 20 or more points. Ayen Nhial anchored the Dukes’ defense with 10 blocks, marking the third time this year she reached this figure.
Looking at team stats, App State’s .213 team hitting percentage slightly edged out James Madison’s .194 hitting percentage. The Dukes would finish the night out-blocking the Mountaineers 16-10.
The Dukes and Mountaineers return to the Convocation Center tomorrow for a 6 p.m. rematch.
How We Got Here
Set One – JMU 25, App State 22
-Despite falling behind 9-4 early, the Dukes dug deep and began clawing their way back one volley at a time.
-Fueled by six first set kills from Louisell, JMU locked the match at 22-22.
-The Dukes would close out the set riding a 6-0 run on their way to earning the win
Set Two – JMU 25, App State 27
-Similar to set one, App State jumped out to an early lead to open the second.
-Before App State could get too far out in front, JMU knotted the match at 10-10.
-The two teams traded blows the rest of the way prior to App State pulling out the 27-25 win.
-This set featured a match-high 18 ties and 10 lead changes
Set Three – JMU 25, App State 18
-For the first time tonight, JMU kickstarted set three grabbing a 7-1 lead, highlighted by Nhial’s sixth block of the match.
-App State would string together a 14-7 run to take a tight lead over the Dukes by the media break.
-Out of the break, JMU responded with a 11-3 run of their own to take set three by the largest victory margin of the night for either team (seven points).
Set Four – JMU 24, App State 26
-Like with set two, the fourth was a back and forth affair that featured 15 ties and six lead changes.
-Depsite the Dukes battling to the very end, a late four-point scoring push by the visitors allowed App State to lock the match a 2-2, forcing JMU into their third fifth set match of October.
Set Five – JMU 14, App State 16
-JMU kicked off the final set of the night building a 9-4 lead.
-With their back against the ropes, App State responded with an 11-5 run to take the win over JMU.
MATCH NOTES
-Addie Norman recorded her sixth performance of the season with double-digit kills, finishing the night with a season-best 12.
-Prior to tonight’s match, JMU, App State, and Georgia Southern were tied for first in the league, posting 5-1 SBC records. The Dukes now sit in second behind both teams.
— JMU Athletics —
