Dukes Advance to 10-0 in CAA With 3-1 Win Over Elon

Saturday, October 24

Harrisonburg, Va.

7:30 p.m.

James Madison University

20-3(10-0)

Elon

5-19(1-10)

Team	1	2	3	4	Final F
Elon	25	13	17	14	1
James Madison	22	25	25	25	3

10/24/2015 10:54:00 PM | Volleyball

Box Score

HARRISONBURG, Va. – James Madison volleyball rallied from a set down to defeat Elon 3-1 (22-25, 25-13, 25-17, 25-14) in a Colonial Athletic Association matchup on Saturday night. at Sinclair Gymnasium. The Dukes improved to 20-3 (10-0 CAA) while the Phoenix fell to 5-19 (1-9 CAA).

After dropping the first set, JMU jumped out to a 10-2 lead in the second, highlighted by a pair of aces by senior Sierra Hahn-Ventrell. The Dukes extended the lead to 18-8 after a 5-1 run. Junior right side hitter Janey Goodman finished off the set with a kill.

After back-and-forth scoring early in the third set, JMU produced a four point advantage at 17-13 following back-to-back kills by seniot outside hitter Meghan Niski. Madison ran away with the frame, closing with an 8-2 run, capped by an ace by Hahn-Ventrell.

Tied at 7-7 in the fourth, back-to-back blocks by junior middle hitter Kelly Robertson and senior setter Sarah Patterson putting the Dukes ahead. The Dukes led 13-10 and seized control with an 8-2 surge to jump ahead 21-12. The Dukes closed out the match by scoring four consecutive points, with Robertson clinching the CAA win with a kill from the middle.

Niski earned her seventh double-double of the season with 11 kills and 12 digs. Goodman paced the offense with a match-high 18 kills. Patterson dished out 46 assists, averaging 11.5 per set. Junior middle hitter Hanna Radhi and Patterson collected seven blocks a piece (six assisted, one solo), with Patterson's total being a career high. Robertson also tied her career-best with six blocks total blocks.

Quoting Lauren Steinbrecher
"Kudos to Elon for the fight they showed tonight. I am super proud of our group for the way they continue to fight together to be their best. One of the best things about this team is how close they are and how much synergy they have on the court."

Rising the Leaderboards
Sophomore libero Taylor Austin tabbed 14 digs on the night to up her season total to 415. She moved into eighth place on JMU's all-time signle-season digs list, moving past Lindsay Collingwood (403, 1997) and Zoe Anasta (412, 1992). Austin leds the JMU defense by averaging 4.83 digs per set.

Photo of the Game

Volleyball Alumni back at JMU for Homecoming Weekend

Last Time it Happened
The last time James Madison was off to a 20-3 start and 10-0 in conference play was in 1999.

Up Next
The Dukes return to action Sunday, Oct. 25 when they host CAA opponent Delaware at 3 p.m. The Dukes swept the Blue Hens in Newark back on Sept. 25. Delaware stantds at 11-11 overall (3-6 CAA).