Volleyball Wins Five Set Thriller At Delaware

Saturday, September 18

Newark, Del.

1 p.m.

James Madison University

7-2

Delaware

5-5

JMU

Delaware

9/18/2021 4:30:00 PM | Volleyball

Box Score Box Score

NEWARK, Del. – James Madison held off a comeback bid by Delaware and opened Colonial Athletic Association play with a 3-2 (25-19, 25-16, 19-25, 15-25, 15-13) victory on Saturday afternoon at the Bob Carpenter Center. The Dukes have now won nine of their last 11 matches against the Blue Hens.

JMU improves to 7-2 overall and 1-0 in conference play, while Delaware falls to 5-5 on the season and 0-1 in CAA play.

Sophomore Miëtte Veldman led the Dukes with a match-high 19 kills, while junior Chloe Wilmoth added 16 herself. Junior Caroline Dozier contributed 42 of the Dukes' 48 assists. Savannah Marshall made her defensive presence felt with 20 digs, hitting the 20 digs mark for the second time in a match this season.

HOW IT HAPPENED
First Set
The first set started out with a back-and-forth battle, with neither team gaining more than a two-point advantage as Delaware took a 15-14 lead. JMU mounted a 7-0 run to take the lead for good, taking the set 25-19.

Second Set
JMU jumped out to a 10-6 lead, capitalizing on multiple Blue Hen errors along with kills by Dozier and Wilmoth. Delaware then scored eight consecutive points to take a 14-10 lead, but JMU responded with a 15-2 run to close out the set and take a 2-0 lead in the match.

Third Set
Delaware scored the first three points but JMU chipped away to even the score at seven. However, the Blue Hens went on an 8-2 run to gain a six-point advantage and the Dukes never got closer than three in the set. Delaware would take the set 25-19, with the Dukes now leading the match 2-1.

Fourth Set
The Blue Hens' momentum continued into the fourth set, as they never trailed after overcoming an early 5-4 JMU lead. The match was tied 2-2 after a 25-15 Delaware victory.

Fifth Set
The final set was dramatic, featuring six ties including at 12-12 and 13-13. With the Dukes down 9-7, Veldman produced a crucial kill followed by three consecutive Blue Hen errors to give JMU an 11-9 lead. Junior Sophia Davis had a huge kill that gave the Dukes a 14-13 lead, and JMU clinched match point on a Delaware attack error, winning the set 15-13.

UP NEXT
The Dukes will play the second of two contests against Delaware tomorrow, Sept. 19 at 1 p.m. ET. Live streaming is available on FloSports.