JMU Falls to Charleston on Senior Day

Sunday, November 1

Harrisonburg, Va.

12 p.m.

James Madison University

21-5 (11-2)

College of Charleston

14-12 (6-6)

Col. of Charleston

James Madison

11/1/2015 4:00:00 PM | Volleyball

Box Score

HARRISONBURG, Va. – James Madison fell to the College of Charleston in three sets (32-34, 20-25, 21-25) on Sunday afternoon, marking its second straight Colonial Athletic Association loss. With the loss, the Dukes fall to 21-5 (11-2 CAA) while the Cougars advance to 14-12 (6-6 CAA).

James Madison fought with Charleston throughout the first set, tallying a remarkable 22 ties in the frame. The Dukes broke away to a 20-18 lead after a four-point run led by the serving of junior setter Sarah Patterson, but the Cougars later answered back with a 5-1 run, taking the lead in extra points at 26-25. The two teams stayed alive, eventually tying at 32-32 before Charleston strung two points together, claiming the first set. Patterson racked up a remarkable 20 assists in the frame.

The Dukes jumped to a 13-10 lead in set two, but Charleston closed the gap, tying things at 16-16. The Cougars kept the momentum going, winning six of the last eight points to take the set.

Charleston stormed out to a 10-3 lead in set three, but Madison took control with a 7-1 run, highlighted by two kills from junior Hanna Radhi to close the gap to 10-11. The Cougars extended the lead to 23-18 headed by setter Melissa Morelo and clinched the match with her kill.

The Dukes were lead by senior outside hitter Meghan Niski with 13 kills and junior outside hitter Kate Whitmire with 11. Patterson recorded 43 assists while sophomore libero Taylor Austin tallied 14 digs.

Quoting Head Coach Lauren Steinbrecher
"It was a tough day for JMUVB, but what I love about this team is their resilience, toughness and fight. This team is special and I am confident in how they will respond. It was an honor to celebrate our seniors today and I am incredibly proud of those four young women!"

Senior Spotlights
Seniors Meghan Niski, Sierra-Hanh Ventrell, Jaclyn Placha and Sarah Patterson were honored before the game for all their accomplishments, both on and off the court. In four years, this senior class has compiled a 64-47 record, highlighted by the current 21-5 mark and the program's best start since 1999. This special group also helped Head Coach Lauren Steinbrecher earn her 100th career win over Northeastern 3-1 on October 9, 2015.

Rising Up the Record Boards
Senior Meghan Niski made her way into the JMU record books in career all-time sets played in 10th with 420. With 25 attack attempts against Charleston, Niski is now ranked 10th in all-time career attacks with 2,842.

Photo of the Game

Tweet of the Game

Thank You, @JMUVolleyball Seniors! #ProudAndTrue #GoDukes pic.twitter.com/C45bObIF0c
— JMU Duke Club (@JMUDukeClub) November 1, 2015

Up Next
The Dukes hit the road for the final three games of regular season play, beginning with Northeastern on Thursday Nov. 5 at 7 p.m. in Boston, Mass.