Volleyball Splits on Second Day of Marquette Invite

Saturday, September 13

Milwaukee, Wisc.

3 p.m.

James Madison University

5-4

UTSA

2-5

UTSA

James Madison

9/13/2014 6:17:00 PM | Volleyball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2

UTSA Box Score
Rice Box Score

Milwaukee, Wisc. - Sophomore Janey Goodman (Powhatan, Va./Powhatan) knocked down a match-high 21 kills with a .415 hitting percentage to lead the James Madison volleyball team to a 3-0 (25-19, 25-23, 25-17) sweep of UTSA at the Marquette Invitational on Saturday afternoon, before dropping an evening match to Rice, 3-1 (24-26, 27-25, 25-15, 25-21).

Goodman's 21 kills in the afternoon match marked the first time any Duke has reached 20 since a match against Cleveland State on Sept. 21, 2013, when she racked up 20. Junior setter Sarah Patterson (Roanoke, Va./Hidden Valley) just missed the double-digit threshold, tallying nine kills on just 14 attacks to go with her 33 assists.

The Dukes came out of the gate quickly against the Roadrunners, giving up the first point of the match but immediately responding with 10 straight points, including four kills from Goodman, to build a nearly-insurmountable lead. JMU continued to score, eventually leading by as much as 13 at 23-10. A 9-1 UTSA run closed the gap to 24-19, but a kill from Patterson sealed the set, 25-19.

The second frame was much more tightly-contested, with the Roadrunners leading for much of the set. A 5-1 run put them up 14-9 before JMU ran off four straight points to put the Dukes back within one. After a 4-1 UTSA run made it 18-14, the Dukes reeled off a 10-3 run that put them back up, 24-21, and were able to close out the hard-fought set at 25-23.

The third set brought more of the same, as the two squads combined for 10 ties. The teams nearly alternated points for the first portion of the frame, as the final tie came at 11-11. JMU went on a 6-0 run to take a 16-11 lead and never looked back. UTSA would never get closer than four points and the Dukes would go on to take the set, 25-17.

As a team, JMU hit .276 on the afternoon, including a .333 clip in the decisive third set. Freshman libero Taylor Austin (Ashburn, Va./Broad Run) again paced the Dukes defensively with 16 digs while JMU tallied six blocks as a team.

In the evening match, the Dukes took an early lead in the first set, winning the first four points and storming out to an 8-4 lead before Rice climbed back to tie things at 11-11 and then take a 16-12 lead as part of a 7-1 run. The Owls would eventually take a 24-21 lead, but the Dukes ran off the next five points to win the set, 26-24.

The second set was close-knit throughout, with neither team ever leading by more than four. JMU was the first to seize an advantage, going up 12-9 on a service ace from Austin, but the Owls battled back and tied things at 16-16. A 5-1 Rice run made it 22-18, but the Dukes returned fire and tied things at 25-25 before Rice closed the set out at 27-25 with a pair of kills.

In the third frame, the Owls raced out to an early lead, going up 6-2 and 9-4. JMU closed things to 12-9 at one point, but could get no closer as Rice took a 2-1 lead with a 25-15 victory in the set.

Neither squad took more than a two-point lead for the first half of the fourth set, before JMU tied things at 12-12 with a kill from senior Martha Stewart (Naperville, Ill./Waubonsie Valley). Rice put the match out of reach, however, with a 7-0 run. The Dukes clawed their way back to 23-21 before the Owls scored the final two points to seal the match with a 25-21 win.

On the evening, Stewart's career-best 17 kills were tied for a match-high, while junior Meghan Niski (St. Charles, Ill./St. Charles East) chipped in a season-high 11. Austin posted a career-high of 22 digs in the match, earning All-Tournament honors for her performance on the weekend.

"We played some very high-level competition this weekend and I thought we competed very well," Head Coach Lauren Steinbrecher said. "We found a lot of things that worked, as well as a lot of things that we need to work on. I was very proud that our local girls, Martha [Stewart] and Meghan [Niski] played outstanding and put on a show for their families and friends, and I thought Taylor [Austin] was absolutely relentless in her defense and passing and absolutely earned her All-Tournament recognition."

After the weekend's action, JMU sits at 5-5. The Dukes will be back in action next weekend when they travel to Piscataway, N.J., to take part in the Rutgers Invitational. On Friday, JMU will face Princeton at 2:30 p.m. and Akron at 5 p.m., before taking on host Rutgers on Saturday at 12:30 p.m.