JMU Stymied by No. 9 Kentucky

Saturday, September 7

Lexington, Ky.

7:30 p.m.

James Madison University

2-3,0-0Sun Belt

Kentucky

4-2,0-0SEC

James Madison

Kentucky

9/7/2024 10:04:00 PM | Volleyball

Box Score

LEXINGTON, Ky. – No. 9 Kentucky held James Madison volleyball to a .056 hitting percentage as the Wildcats came away with a sweep (10-25, 20-25, 22-25) over the Dukes on Saturday evening at Memorial Coliseum.

JMU fell to 2-3 as Kentucky (4-2) hit an efficient .314, finishing with more kills (42-22) and assists (38-17).

Fifth-year senior Miëtte Veldman led the JMU attack, finishing with eight kills, two digs, and an assist. Classmate Savanah Cockrill and redshirt sophomore Melisa Ilter led the defensive effort with four blocks apiece.

Erin Lamb and Brooklyn Deleye led Kentucky in kills with 12 and 10 respectively. Jordan Dailey totaled four blocks to lead the Wildcats defense.

How It Happened
First Set: Kentucky 25-10

The Wildcats quickly jumped to a 10-2 lead with a barrage of kills.
Veldman and freshman Sarah Schnell picked up a pair of kills to cut the lead to 13-5, but Kentucky responded with four straight to push the lead back to 17-5.
Errors doomed the Dukes as the Wildcats took the first set.
Kentucky hit .500 in the first set, finishing with 16 kills on 26 swings and only three errors.

Second Set: Kentucky 25-20

The Dukes kept pace with Kentucky to open the second set thanks to kills and errors from the Wildcats, taking their first lead at 9-8 on an ace from senior Madilyn O'Toole.
JMU held tough, as a kill from sophomore Olivia Vance cut the deficit to one (17-16).
The Dukes kept it to a one-point deficit but Kentucky used a 5-1 run to secure the second set.

Third Set: Kentucky 25-22

JMU gained a 4-1 advantage, but Kentucky countered with a 5-1 run to regain the lead at 5-4.
The Dukes kept the margin within four to hang around 15-11 at the media timeout.
JMU fought to tie the match at 17 behind a kill from senior Annie Smith and regained the lead following a Kentucky error at 19-18.
Kentucky took advantage of a JMU error to disperse three straight kills and put JMU on the ropes again, 23-20.
Another pair of kills following an error got Kentucky to the finish, 25-22.

Match Notes

Kentucky improved to 3-1 all-time against JMU.
JMU held the advantage in total blocks (9-6).
Libero Jaydyn Clemmer finished with eight digs to bring her career total to 1,082 – two away from tying Patti Bucaria (1989-92) for 10th in program history.

Up Next
JMU returns to Harrisonburg to host the Erie Insurance Invitational Sept. 12-15. The Dukes will host UC San Diego, High Point, and Western Michigan.