Volleyball Storms Back For Season-Opening Win

Friday, August 27

Harrisonburg, Va.

5 P.M.

James Madison University

1-0,0-0CAA

High Point

0-1,0-0Big South

High Point

James Madison

8/27/2021 9:16:00 PM | Volleyball

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HARRISONBURG, Va. - James Madison opened the 2021 season in strong fashion on Friday evening, bouncing back from a two-set deficit to earn a 3-2 (22-25, 23-25, 25-16, 26-24, 15-13) victory in non-conference volleyball action at Sinclair Gymnasium.

The Dukes started their year 1-0, coming back from two sets down for the first time since a 3-2 victory over William & Mary on Oct. 27, 2017.

Junior Sophia Davis led the charge, racking up 21 kills, including an eight-kill, zero-error performance in the match-turning third set, on an eye-popping .419 hitting percentage. Sophomore Julie de Sa added 19 kills and three blocks in her first action at JMU, while sophomore Elizabeth Helmich notched a double-double with 14 kills and 13 digs.

Senior setter Rebecca Frye ran the offense with pace, posting 61 assists on the evening and marking the first 60-assist performance for the Dukes since Lauren Miles tallied 62 on Nov. 16, 2007.

HOW IT HAPPENED
First Set
High Point broke a back-and-forth frame open with a 10-1 run in the middle of the opening set to take a 20-13 lead. The Dukes responded with an 8-1 run of their own to tie things at 21-21, but the Panthers won four of the final five points to go up 1-0.

Second Set
For the second set in a row, the two teams racked up eight ties, with neither team ever leading by more than three points. The Dukes took a 21-19 lead on an attacking error, but a 6-2 run from High Point put JMU in a 2-0 hole.

Third Set
The Dukes turned things around in the third set powered by Davis' remarkable performance from the right side, as JMU held the Panthers to a .167 hitting percentage while hitting .452 itself. JMU gradually pulled away, capping a 4-0 run and taking a 19-12 lead on a block by Helmich and freshman Annie Smith, before winning the final four points of the frame to take it 25-16.

Fourth Set
JMU levelled things in the fourth, taking a 17-13 advantage on back-to-back kills from Helmich and Davis before High Point scored four straight to tie things up. The Panthers again erased a 24-21 JMU lead to tie things at 24-24 before a Helmich kill and an attacking error gave the Dukes the set and forced a fifth.

Fifth Set
After taking an early and emphatic lead in the decisive frame, the Dukes saw High Point score five straight points to level things at 11-11. After a time out, JMU went up 14-11 with three straight, then sealed the match in exciting fashion with an authoritative final block from Smith and Frye to cap the comeback.

UP NEXT
The Dukes will be back in action for a pair of matches on Saturday, facing VCU at noon before taking on Illinois State at 8 p.m. Both matches will be available to watch live at FloSports.com.