Volleyball Sweeps Wright State to Run Winning Streak to Five

Friday, September 9

High Point, N.C.

James Madison University

5-2

Wright State

0-7

Wright State

James Madison

Volleyball Sweeps Wright State to Run Winning Streak to Five

9/10/2011 1:41:00 AM | Volleyball

Box Score

HIGH POINT, N.C., Sept. 9, 2011 – Three fourth-year Dukes combined for 39 kills and the team hit a combined .402 to lead the James Madison volleyball team to a 3-0 sweep over Wright State in the opening game of the High Point Classic at the Millis Center in High Point, N.C., on Friday.

JMU ran its winning streak to five matches, winning by set scores of 25-23, 25-17, 25-19 and improving to 5-2 on the season. Wright State remains without a win in 2011 as it dropped to 0-7.

Senior middle blocker Kelly Turner (Ontario, N.Y./Wayne Central) had a match-high 14 kills against just two errors in 17 attempts to hit .706 while fellow senior outside hitter Holly Wall (Kaukauna, Wisc./Kaukauna) collected 13 kills and seven digs. Redshirt junior outside hitter Natalie Abel (Washington, Pa./Trinity) recorded her team-leading fourth double-double with 12 kills and a team-high 11 digs. Junior setter Megan Wiechmann (Sunland, Calif./Village Christian) led the team with 22 assists and freshman outside hitter Lizzy Briones (Siloam Springs, Ark./Siloam Springs) chipped in with three blocks.

The Raiders were led by Heidi Splinter with 12 kills, nine digs and a pair of blocks. Alaina McAuley added nine kills while setter Ashleigh Lucco had a match-high 30 assists, four kills and two digs. Anna Norman led all players with four block assists.

Each team collected five blocks, making it just the second time this season JMU failed to record more blocks than its opponent. The Dukes made up for it with 51 kills and just 12 errors on 97 attacks for a season-high .402 attack percentage. Madison won the digs battle 41 to 28 and had five service aces to WSU's one.

The first set was the closest of the three, featuring 10 tie scores and two lead changes. JMU used an early 4-0 run to take a 7-3 lead, but Wright State answered with a 4-0 run to tie the score back up. The score went back and forth until a kill by WSU's Ashley Langjahr tied it up at 21 apiece and forced a Madison timeout. The Dukes won three of the next four points after the timeout, eventually closing the set out on a kill by Wall. Turner was a perfect 5-for-5 in attack attempts to pace the team while Wall went 4-for-6.

JMU jumped on the Raiders early in set two, taking a 5-2 lead. WSU battled back, winning eight of the next 12 points to take the lead back at 10-9, but immediately gave it up on a 3-0 run by Madison. The Dukes never looked back from there as they stretched their lead out and won the final four points to claim the set 25-17. Turner continued her stellar performance, collecting six kills on seven attempts with no errors to finish the set with an .857 attack percentage.