JMU Splits on Day Two of JMU Classic

Saturday, August 30

Harrisonburg, Va.

12:30 p.m.

James Madison University

2-0

Charleston Southern

0-2

Charleston Southern

James Madison

8/30/2014 3:22:00 PM | Volleyball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2

CSU Box Score
Villanova Box Score

HARRISONBURG, Va. - Junior MacKenzie Kleespies (Lincoln University, Pa./Avon Grove) racked up 13 kills and 20 digs in the first match of the day to lead the James Madison volleyball team to a 3-1 (25-16, 22-25, 25-10, 25-17) win over Charleston Southern on Saturday afternoon at the JMU Classic, before the Dukes dropped a tough 3-0 (25-23, 25-18, 27-25) decision to Villanova in the evening match.

Sophomore Janey Goodman (Powhatan, Va./Powhatan) knocked down a team-high 17 kills and hit .441 in the first match to lead the way for the Dukes' offense, while senior Martha Stewart (Naperville, Ill./Waubonsie Valley) and freshman Taylor Austin (Ashburn, Va./Broad Run) picked up 14 digs and 11 digs, respectively. Freshman Hailey Brooks (Mechanicsville, Va./Atlee) notched double-digit assists for the first time in her career with 10, while junior Sarah Patterson (Roanoke, Va./Hidden Valley) tallied 29.

The Bucs played JMU tight from the beginning, as the Dukes took the first set, 25-16, before dropping a hard-fought second set, 22-25. JMU hit just .194 in the opening frame and .222 in the second.

After the break, however, the Dukes seized the momentum. After a pair of CSU points cut JMU's lead to 12-9, the Dukes reeled off 12 straight points, highlighted by four kills from Goodman, to take a 24-9 lead. They would take the third set, 25-10, and go on to win the fourth set, 25-17.

As a team, JMU hit .294 for the match and racked up 58 kills off of 55 assists, as well as eight team blocks. The Dukes held CSU to a .126 hitting percentage and just four team blocks on the day.

In the evening contest, the Dukes battled throughout the hard-fought loss to Villanova. JMU led the way for much of the frame, but never more than the four-point lead at 14-10. The Wildcats used a 4-0 run to take a 23-21 lead and never looked back, as the squads traded points until Villanova clinched the first set at 25-23.

The Dukes dug themselves a tough hole in the second set, as Villanova scored eight straight to take an 11-5 lead and did not let JMU cut the lead to less than four points, rolling to a 25-18 win in the frame.

The third set brought much more excitement, as neither team could hold a lead of more than four points throughout. The Wildcats went up 13-9 after a 4-0 run before a Goodman kill stopped the momentum. The Dukes chipped away at the lead until a 5-1 run, highlighted by two more kills from Goodman, put JMU up 24-23. The teams traded points until a 3-0 Villanova run closed out the Dukes and clinched the victory.

Goodman again led the Dukes for the match, putting down a match-high 16 kills, her third double-digit performance, and hitting .333. Austin and Kleespies had their second standout defensive match of the day, tallying 13 digs apiece. Patterson paced JMU again with 20 assists, while Brooks registered 15. Following the match, Goodman and Kleespies were both named to the All-Tournament Team for their standout weekends.

The Dukes (2-1) will be back in action on Tuesday, Sept. 2, when they play host to Liberty at Sinclair Gymnasium for a 6 p.m. matchup.

All-Tournament Team
Lauren Carpenter, Villanova (MVP)
Michaela Berendt, Villanova
Emma Pettit, Villanova
Janey Goodman, JMU
MacKenzie Kleespies, JMU
Meredith Parrott, Charleston Southern
Hope Forsythe, Norfolk State