HARRISONBURG, Va. (JMU Athletics) – Three James Madison players finished with 15 or more kills as the Dukes dispatched a pesky Georgia State squad in four sets (30-28, 26-28, 25-20, 25-23) on Friday evening at the Convocation Center.
JMU (9-6, 2-1 Sun Belt) hit .303 as a team, with Kennedy Louisell leading the Dukes with 21 kills, her seventh match with 20 or more kills this season. Ana Toumazatos tied a career-high 17 kills, while classmate Addie Norman tallied a career-best 15 kills at a .370 (15-5-27) clip.
Defensively, the Dukes also recorded 13.0 blocks as Anna Wilson tied a career-high seven denials. After Georgia State (10-4, 1-2 SBC) hit over .300 in the opening two sets, JMU anchored down in the third and fourth, holding the Panthers to .133 in the third and .231 in the fourth.
Alessia Cappai led Georgia State with 15 kills at a .517 clip, while Courtney Smith (12), Maria Cecilia de Pinho (11), and Rayne Williams (10) also finished with double-digit kills.
How It Happened
First Set: James Madison 30-28
• JMU controlled the first set early as an ace from Shelby Davis put the Dukes ahead 17-13.
• The Dukes led by as many as six (19-13) but Georgia State battled back to tie the set at 24, fighting off three set points.
• The teams battled into extra points as a solo block from Courtney Smith put the visitors ahead 28-27. However, JMU rattled off three straight kills to rally and take the first set.
Second Set: Georgia State 28-26
• The Panthers jumped ahead 17-12 as a kill from Cappai forced a JMU timeout.
• The Dukes rallied and tied the set at 22 as Norman and Wilson combined for a block.
• JMU battled off three set points, but a kill and ace from Cappai gave the Panthers the set and evened the match.
Third Set: James Madison 25-20
• Georgia State took an early timeout as a kill from Ayen Nhial and an error gave the Dukes a 8-5 lead.
• JMU’s lead grew to 14-7 on a block from Wilson and Toumazatos, and the Dukes controlled the set the rest of the way to go up 2-1.
Fourth Set: James Madison 25-23
• A kill from Nazli Guvener trimmed the JMU lead to 13-12, but three straight points put the Dukes ahead 16-12.
• Melisa Ilter tallied a kill to give JMU match point (24-19), but the Panthers scored four straight to make it 24-23. After a timeout, a side-out kill from Norman secured the win for the Dukes.
Match Notes
• Kennedy Louisell picked up her sixth double-double of the season, finishing with 21 kills and 12 digs.
• James Madison hit over .300 for the seventh time this season and is hitting .274 overall through 15 matches, which would be a school record.
• JMU tied a season-high 13.0 blocks and is averaging 10.5 per match in three Sun Belt matches.
• Toumazatos has recorded 12 or more kills in eight straight matches and now has 184 kills (3.22 per set) this season.
• Through 15 matches, Louisell has 294 kills (5.16 per set) and is hitting .344.
Up Next
JMU and Georgia State conclude their two-match series tomorrow at 1 p.m.
— JMU Athletics —
