Dukes in Waco for NCAA First Round Against Colorado

James Madison vs. Colorado
Friday, Dec. 1, 2017 - 5:30 p.m. ET
Ferrell Center - Waco, Texas (Baylor University)

23-5 (11-5 CAA)
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22-9 (12-8 Pac 12)
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THE MATCH

JMU makes the trek down south to Waco, Texas for the first and second rounds of the NCAA Volleyball Championship where the Dukes will face Colorado in the first round.
The Dukes earned a bid to the Waco Regional hosted by No. 12 Baylor after winning the Colonial Athletic Association Championship. All first and second round matches will be played inside the Ferrell Center.
The winner will advance to Saturday's second round and will face either the host Baylor Bears or Miami Ohio.

SERIES HISTORY

This is the first meeting between JMU and Colorado as the teams have never face each other in program history.
The Dukes also have never faced the other two teams in the regional, host Baylor or Miami Ohio.

LET'S GO DANCING

For the second consecutive year, James Madison has won the CAA title and is making back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances.
Last year, the Dukes faced Coastal Carolina in the first round and dropped a five-set match at host North Carolina.
The bid is the second under the helm of Head Coach Lauren Steinbrecher, who made four straight tournament appearances as a student-athlete at Georgia Tech.

SCOUTING COLORADO

This is Colorado's 19th trip to the NCAA tournament.
Colorado finished the regular season with a 22-9 overall record and tied for fifth in the Pac-12 with a 12-8 mark.
Junior Alexa Smith leads the Buffs with 4.01 kills per set and is fourth in the Pac 12 in attacks with 10.84 per set.
The Buffs freshman setter, Brynna DeLuzio is averaging 10.94 assists per set good for 28th across the NCAA.
Defensively Colorado is led by Naghede Abu who is averaging 1.20 blocks per set and Gabby Carta-Samuels who has a 3.51 digs per set average.

JMU HISTORY AT NCAA CHAMPIONSHIP

JMU is making its second consecutive and fourth overall appearance in the NCAA Tournament since moving to Division I in 1986.
The Dukes are still in search of their first NCAA Tournament win after falling to Penn State in 2000 and San Diego State in 1999 in straight sets and dropping a five set heartbreaker in 2016 to Coastal Carolina.

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 Miami Ohio versus No. 12 Baylor. The Bears and Redhawks are scheduled for a 8 p.m. ET match during Friday's first round.
The second round game is slated for a 9 p.m. ET start on Saturday evening.
Miami Ohio is making its 10th tournament appearance, and its second straight. The Redhawks were 22-8 overall and won the Mid-American Conference with a 13-3 mark.
As a team, Miami is hitting .211 with 12.76 kills per set, led by Katie Tomasic and Olivia Rusek who are averaging 2.69 kills per set.
Baylor earned the No. 12 seed in the tournament with a 23-6 overall mark with a 13-3 mark in the Big 12.
The Bears are led by Katie Staiger who is averaging 3.90 kills per set and is fourth in the NCAA with 10.20 attacks per set. The team ranks ninth in the country with 14.58 kills per set.

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