Multiple Dukes Earn All-State Honors; Steinbrecher Wins Coach of the Year

RICHMOND, Va. – Four James Madison volleyball players and Head Coach Lauren Steinbrecher were given All-State recognition by the Virginia Sports Information Directors (VaSID), the organization announced on Thursday.

Sophomore Miëtte Veldman was named state Player of the Year on Thursday, while she and junior Sophia Davis were each named to the All-State First Team. Junior setter Caroline Dozier and senior defensive specialist/libero Savannah Marshall were each named to the Second Team.

Veldman added to a multitude of honors in 2021 which includes Conference Player of the Year and First Team, and AVCA Honorable Mention All-Region. She led the conference in kills per set with 4.09, and her 303 kills made Veldman the first Duke since 2018 to reach 300 kills in a season. The outside hitter led JMU in kills, kills/set, points (337.5), and points/set (4.56). She proved herself as a six-rotation player with 174 digs (2.30/set) and 32 blocks in 2021.

Davis' First Team honors also added to many postseason awards. The middle blocker led JMU with 1.22 blocks/set, totaling 107 for the season, and won Conference Defensive of the Week twice. Offensvely, Davis swung for 253 kills in 2021, and holds the JMU record for career hitting percentage at .364.

Dozier earned All-State honors for the first time after leading the Dukes with 805 assists and finishing second in the league with 9.70 assists/set. The Raleigh, N.C. native notched her 1,000th career assist against UNCW on Oct. 23 while also setting a career-high with 56 assists. She led the team with seven double-doubles, added 174 digs (2.10/set), and finished second on the team with 54 blocks.

Marshall established herself as a senior leader on the back line. The libero in every JMU match this season, she led the Dukes with 324 digs (3.68/set), reaching 20 in a match four separate times. She finishes an impressive JMU career with 993 career digs. Marshall also served up 24 aces, second most for the Dukes.

Well regarded by her players and fellow staff, Coach Steinbrecher finished yet another impressive season from the JMU sideline. The Dukes finished with a .708 winning percentage in 2021, and did not lose consecutive matches at any point. The Purple and Gold are 217-114 (.656) in 12 seasons under Steinbrecher, and have at least a .700 winning percentage in its last five seasons.

James Madison finished 17-7 in 2021, and was second in league play at 11-5.

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