Dukes Sweep ODU to Open Weekend Road Trip

Friday, October 6

Norfolk, Va.

6:30 p.m.

James Madison University

12-4,5-0Sun Belt

Old Dominion

9-10,1-4Sun Belt

James Madison

Old Dominion

10/6/2023 10:09:00 PM | Volleyball

Box Score

NORFOLK, Va. – Sophie Davis recorded 13 kills and James Madison volleyball remained perfect in Sun Belt Conference play with a sweep of Old Dominion Friday evening.

JMU (12-4, 5-0 SBC) won by set scores of 25-16, 25-19 and 25-19. With the loss, the Monarchs dropped to 9-10 with a 1-4 mark against league competition. In the first iteration of the 2023-24 Royal Rivalry presented by TowneBank, the Dukes gained a 1-0 advantage in the challenge.

Davis' 13 kills on 18 attempts (.722) led the Dukes, while Alex Kwasnik and Miëtte Veldman added nine apiece. As a team, JMU outhit ODU .366-.226.

The Dukes held the advantage at the service line with 10 service aces compared to the Monarchs' three. Veldman and Rebecca Watkins finished with three apiece to lead JMU.

Preseason All-Sun Belt member Caroline Dozier made her season debut and finished with 10 assists to go along with three digs.

The Monarchs were paced by Myah Conway's 11 kills, while Bailey Burgess finished with a match-high five blocks.

SET 1: JMU 25-16
The two teams fought to a 6-6 tie early before two ODU errors gave the Dukes an 8-6 lead. After JMU extended its advantage to 12-8 on back-to-back kills from Davis and Veldman, the lead ballooned to 18-12, forcing a Monarchs' timeout. JMU continued to pull away from that point on to open the match with a convincing set win.

SET 2: JMU 25-19
Old Dominion gained the first advantage in the second set, as the Monarchs jumped out to a 6-2 lead and forced a JMU timeout. Out of the break, the Dukes immediately responded with two straight, but ODU jumped back ahead 8-4 with two straight of its own. However, the advantage quickly disappeared as JMU used a 5-1 run to tie the set at nine on a Davis kill. After the two teams traded points, the Dukes used a 4-0 spurt, which extended their advantage to 14-10. JMU held off multiple runs and pushed its lead to five (21-16). The Dukes scored four of the final six points in the set and took a commanding 2-0 lead.

SET 3: JMU 25-19
Seeking a sweep, JMU led the set 4-1 early in the third. The Monarchs used three straight to tie the set at four, however, the Dukes answered with three of their own, pushing the lead back up to three (7-4). The teams traded points before JMU scored four straight to put the sweep in reach (17-10). The Monarchs fought to get within five, 23-18, but JMU held on to win, highlighted by a kill from Veldman.

UP NEXT
The Dukes and Monarchs play the second match in as many days tomorrow at 1 p.m. The match can be streamed on ESPN+.