Dukes To Play Coastal Carolina In First Round Of NCAA Tournament

HARRISONBURG, Va. – Colonial Athletic Association champion James Madison volleyball will face Coastal Carolina inside Carmichael Arena at Chapel Hill, N.C. on Friday, Dec. 2 at 4:30 p.m. in the first round of the 2016 NCAA Tournament, the NCAA Selection committee announced Sunday during the Selection Show.

The Dukes earned a spot in No. 7 North Carolina's region for the first and second rounds of the tournament. The winner between JMU versus Coastal Carolina will face the winner of High Point versus North Carolina during the second round of competition on Saturday, Dec. 3 at 6 p.m.

The winning team from each of the 16 second rounds advances to the regional round of competition. Regional play is scheduled for Dec. 9 and 10 while the 2016 National Championship semifinals and finals will be held in Columbus, Ohio on Dec. 15 and 17, respectively.

By claiming the CAA's automatic bid to the NCAA Championship, JMU is making its third overall appearance in the NCAA tournament since moving to Division I in 1986 and the first since 2000. The berth is the first under the leadership of Head Coach Lauren Steinbrecher, who made four straight tournament appearances as a student-athlete at Georgia Tech.

JMU has played Coastal Carolina twice in program history (1991, 2011). With both matches held within the friendly confines of Godwin Hall, the Dukes swept the Chanticleers in the two meetings. Coastal Carolina, the Sun Belt Conference champion, holds a 27-4 overall record with a 15-1 mark in league action. The Chanticleers are led by Sun Belt Player of the Year Leah Hardeman and Newcomer of the Year Tahleia Bishop.

The Dukes opened conference play 3-5 before winning eight consecutive matches to close the regular season and win the CAA regular-season title outright. James Madison extended its win streak to 10 matches and recorded back-to-back sweeps over No. 5 Towson and No. 6 Delaware in Wilmington, N.C. last weekend to win the CAA Championship for the first time since 2000.

James Madison is led by CAA Player of the Year and the CAA Championship's Most Valuable Player Janey Goodman, who ranked 12th in the nation in both kills per set (4.59) and points pet set (5.18), and CAA Defensive Specialist of the Year Taylor Austin, who ranks second in Division I with a 5.29 digs per set average and fifth with 663 total digs this season.

TICKET INFORMATION
All-session tickers for the First and Second Rounds at Carmichael Arena will be $10 for adults and $6 for students and seniors. Single-day tickets will be $6 for adults and $5 for students and seniors. All tickets will be general admission and will be available by calling 919-962-2296.

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