JMU Rallies for 3-1 Triumph against Hampton

Friday, September 5

Harrisonburg, Va.

7:30 p.m.

James Madison University

3-2

Hampton

3-2

Hampton

James Madison

9/5/2014 9:41:00 PM | Volleyball

Box Score

Box Score

HARRISONBURG, Va. - James Madison used a .562 hitting percentage in the decisive fourth set to bounce back for a 3-1 (20-25, 25-23, 25-20, 29-27) victory over Hampton in its first match of the JMU Invitational on Friday night at Sinclair Gymnasium.

Sophomore right side Janey Goodman (Powhatan, Va./Powhatan) tallied a team-best 19 kills and hit .400 (19-5-35) for the match while senior middle blocker Lizzy Briones (Siloam Springs, Ark./Siloam Springs) and senior outside hitter Martha Stewart (Naperville, Ill./Waubonsie Valley) each chipped in 12 and hit .417 and .435, respectively.

The first set was a contest of runs, with momentum bouncing between the two squads. Hampton stormed out to a 12-5 lead on the back of an 8-0 run early in the frame, but the Dukes immediately responded with a 6-0 run of their own to cut the lead to one. The two teams traded points for much of the rest of the set, before the Pirates pulled away to win it, 25-20.

In the second frame, the Dukes took a 10-8 lead with a 5-0 run and did not trail for the rest of the set. A 5-1 run from Hampton earned the Pirates a pair of ties, but JMU was able to pull away and tie the match with a 25-23 win. The Dukes continued their run, storming out to an 11-7 lead and never allowing the Pirates within a point en route to winning the set, 25-21.

The deciding fourth set was even more tightly-contested than the first three, with neither team ever leading by more than two or stringing together more than three points in a row. The two squads were tied at every point after 22-22 before a three-point run by the Dukes earned them a hard-fought 29-27 victory.

The Dukes were stellar defensively on the evening, racking up 12 team blocks. Goodman notched eight (1S, 7A) to lead the team, followed by Briones and freshman Conner Beightol (Richmond, Va./Deep Run) added six and five, respectively. Junior MacKenzie Kleespies (Lincoln University, Pa/Avon Grove) recorded a match-high 16 digs, giving her five straight double-digit performances to start the season.

Hampton was paced by Vendula Strakova, who recorded a match-high 26 kills to go with her .357 hitting clip (26-6-56), while Krista Kraskura tallied 15 of her own.

As a team, JMU hit .248, while Hampton had a .294 attack percentage. The Dukes increased their hitting percentage every set, moving from .036 to .162, before hitting .222 and .562 in the final two frames.

JMU will be back in action tomorrow when they take on Southeastern Louisiana at 12:30 p.m. on Saturday afternoon, followed by a matchup against George Washington at 7:30 p.m. Hampton will face GWU to begin the day at 10 a.m. before taking on SELU at 5 p.m.