Dukes Ready for NCAA First Round Matchup with Baylor

Thursday, November 30

Lexington, Ky.

4:30 p.m.

James Madison University

Baylor

Tickets

11/28/2023 2:15:00 PM | Volleyball

HARRISONBURG, Va. – James Madison, making its second straight appearance in the NCAA Division I Women's Volleyball Championship, will face off with the Baylor Bears in a first-round matchup on Thursday, Nov. 30 at 4:30 p.m. in Lexington, Ky.

Who: James Madison Dukes (21-9, 12-4 SBC) vs. Baylor Bears (16-12, 10-8 Big 12)
What: 2023 Division I Women's Volleyball Championship, First Round
Where: Rupp Arena – Lexington, Ky.
When: Thursday, Nov. 30 at 4:30 p.m.
How to Watch: ESPN+ and the Watch ESPN app (subscription required)
How to Follow: NCAA.com
Know More: JMU Match Notes
Social Media: @JMUVolleyball, #GoDukes, #NCAAWVB

Scouting JMU

The Dukes (21-9), with an RPI of 24, earned the program's first-ever at-large bid and seed, picking up the No.7 seed in the upper left quadrant of the 64-team field. This will be JMU's sixth overall appearance in the tournament and fourth since 2016.
JMU finished the regular season 19-8 and reached the Sun Belt Conference final, where they fell to Coastal Carolina in four sets.
The Dukes are led by the First-Team All-Sun Belt duo of Sophie Davis and Miëtte Veldman. Davis leads the Dukes in total blocks (138) and hitting percentage (.355), while Veldman leads JMU with 419 kills (3.68 per set) and is second on the team in digs (323). She has also picked up a team-leading 12 double-doubles in 2023.
Jaydyn Clemmer has put together a historic season at libero for the Dukes. The junior has racked up 469 digs for a mark of 4.11 per set - both inside the top-10 in JMU single-season history. She also surpassed the 1,000 dig mark in the Sun Belt Conference final against Coastal Carolina and sits at 1,009 for her career.
JMU has excelled at the service line this year for an average of 1.80 per set, good for 38th nationally. Madilyn O'Toole (42) and Rebecca Watkins (41) lead the way for the Dukes.

Scouting Baylor

The Bears are 16-12 overall this season and 10-8 in Big 12 Conference action.
Baylor will be making their eighth straight appearance in the NCAA tournament under head coach Ryan McGuyre. In those eight appearances, BU has compiled a 12-7 record, advancing to the national semifinal in 2019.
Elise McGhee leads Baylor with 381 kills, while Allie Sczech (239), and Manuela Bibinbe (232) add to a supporting cast that has hit .238 as a team this season.
The Bears' primary setter, Averi Carlson, has earned 1,129 assists (10.45 per set) throughout the season, good for 31st nationally among setters.
Notable wins for the Bears this season consist of beating No.19 Ohio State in five sets and defeating No.22 Houston 3-1 on Nov. 22.

Scouting Kentucky

The Wildcats, winners of 16 straight matches, enter the 2023 NCAA tournament with an overall record of 19-7 (16-1 SEC) on the season. In the latest iteration of the AVCA Coaches Poll released on Monday, Nov. 27, Kentucky is ranked 8th.
Head Coach Craig Skinner, who led Kentucky to the 2021 National Championship, has piloted Kentucky to the NCAA Tournament in every year of his 18-year tenure, one of only nine teams to accomplish that feat.
Kentucky beat several other ranked teams this season including No. 9 Arkansas (2x), No.10 Tennessee, No.20 Florida, and No.21 Houston, and No.24 Auburn.
Outside hitter Brooklyn DeLeye was named SEC Freshman of the Year, leading the Wildcats in kills (349) and kills per set (3.67).
Emma Grone, the Wildcats setter, leads the nation in assists per set (12.08). She has helped engineer the Kentucky offense to a .282 hitting percentage, 14th nationally.

Scouting Wofford

The Terriers, champions of the SoCon, finished the regular season 23-7 overall this season and 11-5 in conference play and defeated Samford in the conference title match.
Senior middles Sarah Barham and Millie Loeher represented Wofford on the SoCon all-conference team, as the two led the Terriers on both sides of the net. Loeher finished second in hitting percentage (.357), while Barham recorded a .307 mark. Defensively, the duo represents the top two blockers in the conference - as Barham has racked up 143 (1.29 per set) compared to Loeher's total of 106 (1.00 per set).
Notable results include a four-set win over Virginia on Sep. 16, and a sweep over Sun Belt member Georgia State on Sep. 1.

All-Time Series

James Madison and Baylor have never met.
The Dukes and Kentucky have met three times, with Kentucky holding a 2-1 advantage in the series. JMU took down the Wildcats on Sep. 16, 2000 (3-1), sandwiched in between two Kentucky victories in 1997 and 2001.
JMU and Wofford have never met.

Fun Belt

JMU is one of four Sun Belt teams selected for this season's NCAA Championship, setting a new record for the league.
Coastal Carolina, South Alabama, and Texas State will represent the league along with JMU.

Looking Ahead