JMU Falls in Sun Belt Championship Match

Sunday, November 19

Foley, Ala.

4:00 p.m. ET (3:00 p.m. CT)

James Madison University

21-9,12-4Sun Belt

Coastal Carolina

22-9,14-2Sun Belt

James Madison

Coastal Carolina

11/19/2023 7:47:00 PM | Volleyball

Box Score Photo Gallery

FOLEY, Ala. – James Madison volleyball reached the Sun Belt tournament final for the second consecutive season, but fell to Coastal Carolina in four sets on Sunday evening inside the Foley Sports Tourism Center.

JMU (21-9) fell by set scores of 21-25, 25-19, 28-30, and 19-25, while the Chanticleers (22-9) clinched the Sun Belt's automatic berth to the NCAA tournament.

Miëtte Veldman led JMU with 24 kills and nine digs, while Brenya Reid (13) and Elizabeth Helmich (8) pitched in for a Dukes' offense that hit .253 on the afternoon.

Sophie Davis and Jaydyn Clemmer – who were named to the All-Tournament team – anchored JMU this weekend in Foley. In three matches, Davis finished with 46 kills and 22 total blocks, while Clemmer recorded 70 digs (5.00/set).

Coastal Carolina setter Jalyn Stout – who was named the tournament MVP – finished with 21 kills, 16 digs and 28 assists. Her triple-double marked the 14th time she has achieved that feat this season, setting an NCAA record. Jasmine Rivest added 21 kills and 16 digs.

HOW IT HAPPENED
Set 1: CCU 25-21

Clemmer picked up JMU's third service ace, giving the Dukes a 10-8 lead.
Coastal answered with a 7-1 run and pulled ahead 15-11 at the media timeout on a kill from Rivest.
Helmich pulled JMU to within two (18-16), and after a Coastal point, kills from Veldman and Helmich cut the deficit to one (19-18).
The Dukes tied the score at 21 on a kill from Reid.
Coastal finished the set on a 4-0 spurt to take the first set.

Set 2: JMU 25-19

CCU jumped ahead 4-1 on a kill from Agata Lesiak.
JMU fought back with a block assist from Alex Kwasnik and Helmich , which tied the score at 7-7. Reid followed with her sixth kill to give the Dukes a 9-8 lead.
Veldman recorded the Dukes' fifth ace of the day, giving JMU a 12-8 lead.
Veldman's 10th kill of the afternoon put the Dukes ahead 18-12.
The Chanticleers rattled off four of five, but Veldman cushioned the Dukes' extended the Dukes' lead to 21-16.
CCU would not get any closer as JMU evened the title match at 1-1.

Set 3: CCU 30-28

A kill from Kwasnik off a Coastal overpass gave the Dukes a 7-5 edge early in the third.
CCU tied the score at 13 on a kill from Stout.
JMU rattled off six of nine, pulling ahead 19-16 on Davis' fifth block of the day.
With the Dukes leading by four (22-18), CCU evened the set at 22 with four straight points.
JMU reached four set points but was unable to seal the deal as Coastal scraped by the Dukes in the third.

Set 4: CCU 25-19

The Chanticleers jumped ahead 11-4 on Stout's 17th kill of the contest.
After falling behind by eight (13-5), JMU scored five of six and cut the Coastal lead to four (14-10).
The Dukes' trailed by two (16-14) after Reid's 13th kill, but Coastal responded with three straight and pushed the lead to 19-14.
The Chanticleers held off the Dukes and secured the tournament championship.

2023 Sun Belt Volleyball All-Tournament Team
Most Outstanding Performer – Jalyn Stout, Coastal Carolina
Agata Lesiak, Coastal Carolina
Jasmine Rivest, Coastal Carolina
Sophie Davis, James Madison
Jaydyn Clemmer, James Madison
Hannah Maddux, South Alabama
Samantha Wunsch, Texas State

UP NEXT
JMU, with an unofficial RPI of 24 as of Nov. 12, will await its fate on Sunday, Nov. 26, with the NCAA Selection show slated for 6 p.m. on ESPN.