Dukes Drop Five-Set Heartbreaker, 3-2 to Towson

Saturday, November 8

Harrisonburg, Va.

7 p.m.

James Madison University

15-12, 7-7CAA

Towson

25-4, 11-3CAA

Towson

James Madison

11/8/2014 10:44:00 PM | Volleyball

Box Score

HARRISONBURG, Va. - A comeback attempt from the James Madison volleyball team fell just short on Saturday evening, as the Dukes dropped a five-set heartbreaker, 3-2 (21-25, 25-16, 25-19, 23-25, 15-11) to Towson

Senior Kelly Maguire and sophomores Janey Goodman and Kate Whitmire all knocked down 11 kills to pace the Dukes' offense as JMU moved to 15-12 (7-7 CAA) on the season. Junior Sarah Patterson moved closer to the 1,000-assist mark this season with 40 on the evening.

In the first set, the two teams battled back-and-forth en route to six ties in the early goings. Towson struck first with a 4-0 run that put the Tigers up 12-10, but the Dukes struck back immediately with five straight points of their own. After a timeout from the Tigers, they were able to chip away until they tied things at 19-19, but JMU was able to close things out at 25-21 with a 6-2 run that included an ace from Lizzy Briones and a pair of Maguire kills.

Towson struck back in the second, as it stormed out to leads of 4-1, 7-3 and 14-6 to put the Dukes in a hole they could not dig out of. JMU would not get closer than six as the Tigers closed the set out at 25-16.

The third set opened in much the same way, as Towson came out with a 9-2 lead, but the Dukes struck back immediately with four straight points and eventually battled their way back to a 19-18 deficit on an ace from Patterson. However, the Tigers were able to hold off the charge and take the set at 25-19 to go up 2-1.

Both sides traded momentum in the fourth set, as neither team could take a lead of more than three points until the late stages of the frame. With the Tigers up 16-13, the Dukes reeled off four straight points to kick-start a 10-3 run that put them ahead, 23-19. Towson would climb all the way back to cut JMU's lead to 24-23, but a kill from Goodman would give the Dukes the set at 25-23.

Towson came out on fire in the decisive fifth set, winning the first seven points and eight of the first nine to take control early. The Dukes did not go down easy, fighting back to cut the deficit to 13-10, but a kill from the Tigers would finally wrap things up at 15-11.

Defensively, junior Meghan Niski notched her 15th double-digit effort with 15 digs, while junior Sierra Hahn-Ventrell tallied 11 of her own. JMU also played well at the net, picking up 10 blocks as a team, as senior Lizzy Briones and Maguire paced the effort with five each.

Towson, who moved to 25-4 (11-3 CAA) with the win, was led by Haley Pa'akaula and Saitaua Iosia, who registered 18 and 17 kills, respectively.

Prior to the match, the Dukes honored their four seniors: Kristi Richardson, Kelly Maguire, Martha Stewart and Lizzy Briones.

JMU will be back in action next weekend, when it wraps up its regular season with a pair of road matches at Hofstra (Thurs., Nov. 13, 7 p.m.) and Northeastern (Sat., Nov. 15, 4 p.m.). The CAA Tournament, in which JMU has already clinched a spot, kicks off the following weekend, though seeds are yet to be determined.