Dukes Trek To Chapel Hill For NCAA First Round Against Coastal Carolina

-- NCAA Volleyball Championship First Round -- James Madison vs. Coastal Carolina Carmichael Arena \| Chapel Hill, N.C. Friday, Dec. 2, 2016 \| 4:30 p.m. (ET)
21-10 (11-5 CAA) Match Notes @VJMU olleyball \| #DigTheDukes JMUSports.com	24-7 (15-1 Sun Belt) Match Notes @CoastalVball GoCCUSports.com
Live Stats \| Live Video \| NCAA Bracket \| Tournament Central

THE GAME

JMU makes the short trek to Chapel Hill, N.C. for the first round of the NCAA Volleyball Championship where the Colonial Athletic Championship will face Sun Belt Champion Coastal Carolina.
The Dukes earned a bid into the Chapel Hill regional hosted by No. 7 North Carolina. All first and second round matches will be played inside Carmichael Arena.
The winner will advance to Saturday's second round and will face either the host Tar Heels or High Point

SERIES HISTORY

This is just the third meeting all-time between JMU and Coastal Carolina as the Dukes hold a 2-0 lead in the series that dates back to 1991.
In the previous two meetings (1991, 2011) both held inside Godwin Hall in Harrisonburg, James Madison swept the Chanticleers in straight sets.
Friday marks the first time JMU and the Chanticleers have met in the NCAA Tournament and the first meeting to ever occur outside the friendly confines of Sinclair Gym.

LET'S GO DANCING

For the first time since 1999, James Madison has won the CAA regular-season and tournament championships and is making its first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2000.
After starting the conference slate with a 3-5 record, the Dukes have strung together a 10-match winning streak that included two sweeps over No. 5 Towson and No. 6 Delaware at the CAA Championship to secure a NCAA Tournament berth.
Friday's match will mark the first NCAA appearance as a coach for Lauren Steinbrecher, who made four consecutive appearances as a student-athlete at Georgia Tech.

SCOUTING COASTAL CAROLINA

The Chanticleers enter Friday's first round with a 27-4 overall record and a 15-1 mark in the Sun Belt Conference, winning the tournament title and the SBC's automatic bid. Coastal has won its last 17 matches. The streak began on Sept. 30.
Coastal earned its third consecutive NCAA postseason berth, a program record, after downing top-seeded Arkansas State in the championship match. The Chanticleers are making their sixth NCAA postseason appearance in program history and have played their last three NCAA regional matches inside Carmichael Arena.
Three Chanticleers were honored with All-Sun Belt Conference accolades this season, including Player of the Year Leah Hardeman and Newcomer of the Year Tahleia Bishop.
Hardeman is the Chanticleers top attackers in the Sun Belt ranking second with 3.77 kills per set average. She has totaled 388 kills on 922 attempts for a .297 attacking percentage this season. Hardeman is a dominate server with 32 service aces to average 0.31 per set, fourth-best in the conference. Defensively, she ranks second on the team with 478 digs, tallying 12 double-doubles this season, and has added 49 total blocks. Bishop, a senior playing her first as a Chanticleer, garnered 261 total kills for Coastal while attacking a .258 clip. A versatile player on the court, Bishop has tallied 120 digs and 41 total blocks defensively.

JMU HISTORY AT NCAA CHAMPIONSHIP

JMU is making its third appearance in the NCAA Tournament since moving to Division I in 1986 and the Dukes' first appearance since 2000.
Madison is winless in its last two tournament appearances, falling to Penn State in 2000 and Sen Diego State in 1999. Both losses came in straight sets.

WINNER ADVANCES TO SATURDAY'S SECOND ROUND

The winner of Friday's match advances to Saturday's second round to take on the winner of High Point versus No. 7 North Carolina. The Tar Heels and Panthers are scheduled for a 6:30 p.m. match during Friday's first round.
High Point earned the Big South's automatic bid after winning just its second Big South Championship in program history. The Panthers are 23-9 overall with an 11-5 mark in league action and marking their second appearance in the NCAA Tournament, the last coming in 2010.
North Carolina earned the seventh seed, tying its highest mark in program history, and is making its 18th appearance in the NCAA Tournament after capturing its conference-record 13th ACC title.

-- NCAA Volleyball Championship First Round -- James Madison vs. Coastal Carolina Carmichael Arena \| Chapel Hill, N.C. Friday, Dec. 2, 2016 \| 4:30 p.m. (ET)
21-10 (11-5 CAA) Match Notes @VJMU olleyball \| #DigTheDukes JMUSports.com	24-7 (15-1 Sun Belt) Match Notes @CoastalVball GoCCUSports.com
Live Stats \| Live Video \| NCAA Bracket \| Tournament Central

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