Dukes Rally Back To Defeat Hofstra in 5

Sunday, October 11

Harrisonburg, Va.

1 p.m.

James Madison University

16-3, 6-0CAA

Hofstra

14-8, 5-2CAA

HOFSTRA

James Madison

10/11/2015 4:35:00 PM | Volleyball

Box Score

HARRISONBURG, Va. – The James Madison volleyball team rallied from a two-set deficit to defeat Hofstra in five sets (16-25, 19-25, 25-20, 25-16, 15-9) in the Dukes' second Colonial Athletic Association match of the weekend. The Dukes advance to 16-3 (6-0 CAA) and the Pride falls to 14-8 (5-2 CAA).

Senior setter Sarah Patterson racked up a season-high 54 assists, marshaling an offense that posted a team hitting percentage of .327. Junior right side Janey Goodman led the Dukes offensively, earning her second-consecutive double-double with 21 kills and 10 digs. Meghan Niski followed suit, tying a season-best with 16 kills. Defensively, Taylor Gail tied her career high with seven blocks for the Dukes.

After falling in the first two sets of the match, the Dukes jumped ahead in the third, taking a four-point lead at the 14-10 mark after a kill and a solo block from Kate Whitmire. The Pride closed the gap, tying things at 18-18, but JMU went on a 6-1 run to put the frame out of reach.

James Madison kept the momentum through the fourth set with another 6-1 to make it 15-7. JMU extended the lead, but Hofstra closed the gap to 23-14, forcing a JMU timeout. After a service error, the Dukes answered back with blocks by Gail and Goodman to force the decisive fifth set.

Madison took control early in the frame, keeping the Pride off the board for the first four points of the match. Through back-and-forth scoring, the Dukes maintained the lead throughout the frame, putting the finishing touch on the marathon contest with a Whitmire kill.

Quoting Lauren Steinbrecher
"We came out and we fought and were aggresive. A lot of kudos to Sarah Patterson because our offense continues to go off and she does a great job of getting everybody in a position to terminate. Also, Kate Whitmire came in an did some fantastic things."

Unsung Hero
Outside hitter Kate Whitmire recorded a season-high 10 kills and team-best hitting percentage of .474 (min of 10 kills). Whitmire came off the bench for the Dukes in set three, making an immediate impact with a kill and a solo block to extend the JMU lead.

Photo of the Game

Tweet of the Game

Huge W for the Dukes. #CAASports http://t.co/P54y0ev9J6
— CAASports (@CAASports) October 11, 2015

Up Next
The Dukes hit the road next weekend facing College of Charleston Friday, October 16 at 7 p.m. in Charleston followed by a 1 p.m. match on Sunday, October 18 against UNCW in Wilmington, N.C. The Cougars are currently 9-9 and 1-4 in conference play riding a three game win streak. The Seahawks are also on three game win steak with a 14-4 record and 5-1 in the CAA.