Dukes Fall to Hofstra in CAA Semis, 3-0

Saturday, November 22

Charleston, S.C.

4 p.m.

James Madison University

17-14

Hofstra

27-5

James Madison

Hofstra

11/22/2014 7:09:00 PM | Volleyball

Box Score

CHARLESTON, S.C. - The sixth-seeded James Madison volleyball team dropped a tough, 3-0 (25-17, 28-26, 28-26) decision to second-seeded Hofstra on Saturday evening, ending the Dukes' 2014 campaign in the semifinals of the Colonial Athletic Association Tournament.

Senior middle blocker Lizzy Briones (Siloam Springs, Ark./Siloam Springs) filled up the statsheet in her final collegiate match, putting down a team-best 12 kills to go with five blocks and three digs across the three sets.

Sophomore outside hitter Janey Goodman (Powhatan, Va./Powhatan) chipped in eight blocks for JMU, while junior setter Sarah Patterson (Roanoke, Va./Hidden Valley) racked up 26 assists.

Hofstra jumped out to an early lead in the opening set, going up 6-2 before three straight JMU points cut the lead to 6-5. The Dukes would never lead, however, as the Pride gradually built their lead. JMU would pull within one again when a 5-1 run cut Hofstra's lead to 16-15, but the Pride would pull away again, eventually taking the set, 25-17.

The Dukes jumped in front in set two, taking the first three points and four of the first five, but a 5-1 Hofstra run would give it a 7-6 lead in short order. From there, the two teams almost trade points through the frame, combining for 12 different ties. They would tie at 24, 25 and 26 before the Pride finally got two straight points to take the set at 28-26.

The third set was hard-fought from the beginning, as a 5-1 run that put Hofstra up 11-6 was the first significant damage done by either team. The Dukes would respond with a 4-1 run to cut things to 12-10, but the Pride was able to consistently hold JMU off. However, trailing 20-16, the Dukes used a 3-1 run to cut things to 21-19 and eventually scored three straight on set point to tie Hofstra at 24-24. After battling through ties at 25 and 26 for the second set in a row, Hofstra pulled out three straight points to close things out at 28-26.

"We put ourselves in a position to win those last two sets, but just couldn't close them out," Head Coach Lauren Steinbrecher said. "Credit to Hofstra for that; they have a talented team and they played very well tonight. Our four seniors have everything in the world to be proud of, as they each had tremendous careers and great tournament play this weekend."

Defensively, Briones' five blocks marked the match-high and gave her 495 total blocks, the JMU record, to end her career. The Dukes had 6.0 blocks as a team, as Patterson chipped in three to go with five digs and sophomore outside hitter Kate Whitmire (Alexadria, Va./T.C. Williams) grabbed a pair.

Freshman libero Taylor Austin (Ashburn, Va./Broad Run) posted a match-high 21 digs, while redshirt senior Kristi Richardson tallied 10 in her final collegiate contest.

The Dukes wrap up the 2014 season with a 17-14 record, including an 8-8 mark in CAA contests. In addition to Briones' records, this year also saw the Dukes capture the 500th Division I win in program history.