Dukes Drop 3-1 Decision at UNCW

Friday, October 31

Wilmington, N.C.

7 p.m.

James Madison University

13-11 (5-6CAA)

UNCW

17-8 (7-4CAA)

James Madison

UNCW

10/31/2014 9:51:00 PM | Volleyball

Box Score

WILMINGTON, N.C. - Senior middle blocker Lizzy Briones (Siloam Springs, Ark./Siloam Springs) knocked down 16 kills on a .382 attack percentage, but the James Madison volleyball team dropped a hard-fought 3-1 (25-19, 19-25, 25-13, 25-22) decision at UNCW on Friday evening.

Sophomore outside hitter Kate Whitmire (Alexandria, Va./T.C. Williams) picked up her second double-digit performance of the season with 13 kills, while junior setter Sarah Patterson (Roanoke, Va./Hidden Valley) notched her fifth double-double for the Dukes (13-11, 5-6 CAA) with 39 assists and 10 kills on just 14 attacks.

In the first set, the two squads were evenly matched, racking up seven ties, with the final one coming at 16-16. At that point, the Seahawks ran off a 9-3 run, including four kills, to close out the set at 25-19.

The Dukes bounced back in the second set, ripping off a pair of early seven-point runs that included nine kills to storm out to a 16-7 lead. UNCW cut the JMU lead to 17-14, but the Dukes were able to hold off the Seahawks, with the help of three kills from Whitmire, and take the set, 25-19.

After the break, UNCW seized the momentum back, notching runs of 10-2 and 6-0 en route to a 25-13 win in set three.

JMU held the advantage for much of the fourth set, winning the first three points and holding the Seahawks off for much of the frame. With the Dukes up 21-15, however, UNCW put together a 10-1 run to take the set and the match at 25-22.

Despite the loss, a trio of Dukes picked up double-digit digs on the evening, as freshman Taylor Austin (Ashburn, Va./Broad Run) led the way with 18, while junior Sierra Hahn-Ventrell (Chevy Chase, Md./Bethesda-Chevy Chase) and senior Martha Stewart (Naperville, Ill./Waubonsie Valley) tallied 11 and 10, respectively.

In addition to her 16 kills, Briones notched three blocks on the evening, giving her 455 for her career and moving her into second place in JMU history. Briones passed Debbi Prince, who tallied 453 blocks from 1992-95, and sits 30 blocks behind program record-holder Kate Fuchs, who had 485 from 2001-04.

The Dukes will be back in action on Sunday afternoon, when they wrap up their road swing through the Carolinas with a match at Elon at 2 p.m.