Dukes Comeback Bid Falls Short, Drop Five-Set Thriller to South Alabama

Friday, November 10

Mobile, Ala.

7 p.m. ET (6 p.m. CT)

James Madison University

19-8,12-4Sun Belt

South Alabama

21-7,12-4Sun Belt

James Madison

South Alabama

Dukes Comeback Bid Falls Short, Drop Five-Set Thriller to South Alabama

11/10/2023 10:40:00 PM | Volleyball

Box Score

MOBILE, Ala. – After falling behind in sets 2-0, James Madison volleyball stormed back to force a fifth set but ultimately dropped a five-set thriller to conclude the 2023 regular season Friday evening.

JMU (19-8, 12-4 Sun Belt) concluded its 2023 regular season with set scores of 24-26, 23-25, 28-26, 25-18, 5-15. South Alabama improved to 21-7 and 12-4 against league foes.

Miëtte Veldman continued her torrid stretch, picking up her sixth double-double (17 kills, 21 digs) in her last seven matches. Her mark of 21 digs also tied a career-high, which came against Charleston on March 20, 2021. Junior libero Jaydyn Clemmer also matched her career-high in digs, totaling 25.

The senior duo of Sophie Davis (16) and Elizabeth Helmich (12) pitched in double-figure kills for JMU. Alex Kwasnik set a new career-high in blocks (9) and recorded five kills.

Abryanna Cannon (19), Hannah Maddux (17), and Maddie Soboleski led the South Alabama attack. Libero Paige Lynn racked up 27 digs, leading five Jaguars in double-figures.

HOW IT HAPPENED
Set 1: South Alabama 26-24

Veldman took control of the match early, picking up four kills and tying the score at eight.
USA scored six of eight points and grabbed a 14-10 lead.
After trailing by as many as four (16-12), back-to-back blocks and two USA hitting errors knotted the score at 18.
Consecutive service aces from Madilyn O Toole gave the Dukes its first lead of the match (22-21).
After Veldman tied the set at 24, two kills from the Jaguars' Niki Capizzi were enough to edge JMU in the first.

Set 2: South Alabama 25-23

South Alabama grabbed a 5-2 lead, but a kill from Veldman capped off a 3-0 run, tying the set at five.
The teams traded the next six points, but four consecutive scores f from JMU gave the Dukes a 12-8 lead.
JMU maintained a four-point cushion (15-11) into the media timeout.
After the Dukes pulled ahead 20-17 on a Davis kill, South Alabama scored four straight, taking a 21-20 lead.
After Helmich tied the score at 23, a JMU attacking error and block from USA gave the Jaguars the set victory.

Set 3: JMU 28-26

A kill from Reid capped off a 4-0 run for the Dukes, giving the visitors a 7-3 lead.
South Alabama scored five of the next six points, tying the set at eight on a Watkins ball handling error.
The set remained deadlocked, with USA holding a slim one-point lead (15-14) at the media timeout.
JMU had an answer for every Jaguar point, fending off three match points. An ace from Davis gave the Dukes a 27-26 lead, and a block from Kwasnik and Caroline Dozier forced a fourth set.

Set 4: JMU 25-18

After a tightly contested battle early, South Alabama edged ahead 12-9 on a kill from Abryanna Cannon.
After a Veldman kill, Watkins fired off four straight aces, giving the Dukes a 14-12 lead.
Another ace - this time from Jaydyn Clemmer – gave JMU a 17-14 lead before Davis buried two straight kills, opening up a 19-15 advantage for the Dukes.
The Jaguars would get no closer than three (20-17), as JMU forced a fifth set with a comfortable set four triumph.

Set 5: South Alabama 15-5

The Jaguars jumped ahead 8-2 as the teams switched sides in the fifth.
The Dukes wouldn't get any closer than eight (12-4) as USA secured the victory.

MATCH NOTES

JMU's 93 digs were a season-high, led by Clemmer (25) and Veldman (21), who both tied career bests.
The Dukes picked up 11 service aces, led by setter Rebecca Watkins, who finished with four. The freshman leads JMU with 37 aces in 2023.
Davis' three block assists pushed her career total to 436, which surpassed Lizzy Brione's previous record of 435.

UP NEXT
JMU will head to Foley, Ala., for the Sun Belt Conference tournament. As the second seed in the east division, the Dukes have earned a double-bye and will play on Friday at 5:30 p.m. (ET), with an opponent to be determined.