Dukes Roll to 3-0 Sweep of First-Place Hofstra

Saturday, October 18

Harrisonburg, Va.

7 p.m.

James Madison University

12-9 (4-4CAA)

Hofstra

19-3 (7-1CAA)

Hofstra

James Madison

10/18/2014 8:50:00 PM | Volleyball

Box Score

HARRISONBURG, Va. - The James Madison volleyball team combined to hit .308 en route to a 3-0 (25-20, 25-16, 31-29) sweep of first-place Hofstra on Saturday evening at Sinclair Gymnasium.

Hofstra, which entered the match with a flawless 7-0 record in Colonial Athletic Association play, managed just a .165 attack percentage against the staunch JMU defense, as the Dukes racked up 12 blocks as a team, their third straight double-digit effort, and raised their record to 12-9 (4-4 CAA). JMU hit .286 or above in all three sets, while the Pride only cracked .200 in the final set.

Junior outside hitter Meghan Niski (St. Charles, Ill./ St. Charles East) tallied 11 kills and 10 digs to log her second straight double-double and her eighth of the season. Senior middle blocker Lizzy Briones (Siloam Springs, Ark./Siloam Springs) knocked down 10 kills of her own on a .500 attack percentage, while also chipping in five blocks.

In the first set, the teams were deadlocked early, tying at each of the first 12 opportunities to start the frame. JMU broke things open first with a 9-3 run to take a 21-15 lead, eventually stretching its advantage to 24-17. The Pride scored three straight points to cut the lead to four before JMU closed things out at 25-20 on a kill from Niski.

The second frame was also back-and-forth in the early goings before the Dukes broke a tie with a 3-0 run to take a 15-12 lead. After Hofstra made it 17-14 on a kill from Emily Burke, JMU reeled off seven points in a row, including kills from three different Dukes and an ace from freshman Taylor Austin, to take a commanding 24-14 lead and put the frame out of reach. After a pair of points from the Pride, JMU closed things out at 25-16 to take a 2-0 lead into the break.

The third set saw many of the same swings as the opening sets. After the Dukes took a 7-4 lead, Hofstra was able to take five straight points, including a trio of kills from Veronika Kostova, to go up 9-7 and force a JMU timeout. The Dukes battled back and forced five straight ties before a 5-1 run from the Pride put Hofstra up 18-15. Again, JMU battled back to take a 24-23 lead on a block from Briones and junior setter Sarah Patterson (Roanoke, Va./Hidden Valley), but the teams traded pairs of points until Hofstra took a 29-28 lead. After a huge block from redshirt freshman Conner Beightol (Richmond, Va./Deep Run) and sophomore Janey Goodman (Powhatan, Va./Powhatan), Briones and Goodman each ripped a kill to put away the CAA leaders, 31-29.

Briones' five blocks made her one of four Dukes with at least four on the evening. Beightol led the way with seven, while Goodman joined Briones with five and Niski tallied an additional four. Patterson racked up 39 assist in the win.

"Our blocking was really, really good tonight," Head Coach Lauren Steinbrecher said. "But, I think just playing together as a unit and as a team was the difference tonight, as opposed to the last two months. People were playing their roles and doing what they could for the team--not doing more or less, just doing exactly what needed to be done."

JMU will be back in action on Wed., Oct. 22, when it closes out it's three-match homestand with a bout against William and Mary at 7 p.m. The Dukes swept the Tribe in Williamsburg earlier this season in their first CAA match of the year.