Dukes Rally Past Georgia Southern in Four-Set Triumph

Friday, October 27

Harrisonburg, Va.

5 p.m.

James Madison University

17-6,10-2Sun Belt

Georgia Southern

17-6,7-5Sun Belt

Ga. Southern

James Madison

10/27/2023 9:22:00 PM | Volleyball

Box Score Photo Gallery

HARRISONBURG, Va. – James Madison volleyball overcame an eight-point deficit in the fourth set and secured a 3-1 Sun Belt Conference victory over Georgia Southern Friday evening at the Convocation Center.

The Dukes secured the win by set scores of 25-23, 14-25, 25-20, and 25-23, improving to 17-6 in 2023 and 10-2 in the Sun Belt. With the loss, Georgia Southern dropped to 17-6 and 7-5 in league play.

Sophie Davis led the Dukes with 18 kills, while Miëtte Veldman tallied a season-high 16 digs along with 14 kills, as the senior recorded her eighth double-double of the season. Elizabeth Helmich hit an efficient .300 (9-3-20), while Alex Kwasnik added six kills.

Reagan Barth and Chamblee Russell paced the Georgia Southern offense, finishing with 14 and 13 kills, respectively. Ailie Hair (5) and Jordan Christy (4) also combined for nine blocks.

HOW IT HAPPENED
Set 1: JMU 25-23

After falling behind 8-6, a 4-0 JMU run capped off by a Kwasnik kill, gave the Dukes a 10-8 lead.
A Rebecca Watkins kill extended the lead to 14-10, but Georgia Southern climbed back, eventually grabbing a 16-15 lead.
After the teams traded 3-0 runs, the Eagles maintained a 19-18 lead over the Dukes.
JMU scored four of five and jumped ahead 22-20, but Georgia Southern was able to tie the set at 23.
The Dukes responded with kills from Helmich and Brenya Reid, giving JMU the two-point win in the first.

Set 2: Georgia Southern 25-14

GS and JMU traded points early, battling to a 5-5 tie.
Georgia Southern quickly seized momentum with a 6-0 run, taking a commanding 11-5 lead.
The Eagles built a nine-point cushion (16-7) and never let up, tying the match at one set apiece with a dominant second set.

Set 3: JMU 25-20

The set was tied at four before three straight Veldman kills gave the Dukes a 7-4 lead.
JMU further built its lead to four (10-6) on a pair of GS errors, while a kill from Davis pushed the advantage to 15-9.
The Eagles never threatened the rest of the way as the Dukes took a 2-1 lead in the match.

Set 4: JMU 25-23

In what was a set of runs, a 5-0 spurt from JMU gave the Dukes a 7-4 lead.
However, Georgia Southern took control of the set, eventually tying things up at nine before scoring 10 of the next 14 points for a 19-13 lead.
In the blink of an eye, JMU scored six straight and tied the set at 19 on a GS attacking error.
The Eagles scored two of three and took a 21-20 lead, but two straight from JMU gave the Dukes a 22-21 lead before GS tied the score at 22.
A kill from Davis and a double block from Caroline Dozier and Kwasnik put JMU on match point, and GS's serve went long, giving the Dukes the comeback win in set four.

MATCH NOTES

With the win, JMU secured at least a first-round bye in the Sun Belt Conference Championship, which takes place Nov. 15-19 in Foley, Ala. The Dukes currently sit at 10-2 in league matches and in second place in the East division.
JMU has gone 11-1 in its first season at the Convocation Center, the only blemish coming at the hands of Ohio on Aug. 26.

UP NEXT
JMU will host Marshall next Friday, Nov. 3 and Saturday, Nov. 4 as part of Alumni Weekend. Friday's match will begin at 6 p.m., and Saturday's match will be a 1 p.m. start. Both matches will be streamed on ESPN+.