App State rallies past JMU in five despite Louisell’s 29 kills
James Madison led two sets to one and held a 9–4 advantage in the fifth, but App State recovered to win a five-set volleyball match Thursday, October 15, at the Convocation Center in Harrisonburg. The Mountaineers won 22–25, 27–25, 18–25, 26–24 and 16–14.
James Madison led two sets to one and held a 9–4 advantage in the fifth, but App State recovered to win a five-set volleyball match Thursday, October 15, at the Convocation Center in Harrisonburg. The Mountaineers won 22–25, 27–25, 18–25, 26–24 and 16–14.
The result left JMU 10–7 overall and 5–2 in Sun Belt play. App State improved to 13–8 and 6–1 in the conference, moving ahead of the Dukes after the teams entered with matching 5–1 league records.
Kennedy Louisell led JMU with 29 kills and five service aces, hitting .313 on 64 attacking attempts. Addie Norman added 12 kills and eight block assists. Ayen Nhial finished with one solo block and 10 block assists, while Sydney Lewis led the Dukes with 18 digs.
JMU took the opening set 25–22 before App State answered 27–25. The Dukes regained the lead with a 25–18 third-set win, but their attacking percentage fell to .089 in the fourth and .043 in the fifth. App State won both closing sets by two points.
The Mountaineers finished with 62 kills and a .213 hitting percentage, compared with JMU’s 57 kills and .194 mark. Bella Hutchens led App State with 16 kills, Charlotte Thompson added 14 and Chelsea Gilmore supplied 11. Raegan Richardson recorded 41 assists.
JMU had advantages of 13–8 in aces and 16–12 in team blocks. Those totals were not enough to secure the final two sets. Lindsey Large had 21 assists for the Dukes, and Grace Wenrich added 20.
The teams meet again Friday, October 16, at 6 p.m. Eastern at the Convocation Center, with ESPN+ listed for the rematch.