HARRISONBURG, Va. (JMU Athletics) – James Madison volleyball posted a 3-0 victory over George Mason (8-4) to close out the LD&B Insurance Invitational on Sunday to secure Head Coach Lauren Steinbrecher’s 300th win at the helm.
The Dukes went a perfect 3-0 for the LD&B Insurance Invitational to move back to .500 on the season (5-5), winning nine of their 10 sets played over the three-day tournament. Kennedy Louisell and Sydney Lewis were named to the LD&B Insurance Invitational All-Tournament team alongside four other competitors.
In the sweep of George Mason, JMU set a new Convocation Center record with 17.0 blocks as a team in a three-set contest. Ayen Nhial had 9.0 blocks to lead six Dukes credited with stops at the net. The Patriots were held to a -.092 hitting percentage (24-34-109), the lowest mark of any JMU opponent this season.
JMU finished the day hitting .231 (31-10-91), led by Louisell’s 13 kills (13-2-42, .262). Six Dukes had kills on the afternoon and nine of the 10 Dukes who competed tallied points.
Next up, the Dukes head into conference play. They host South Alabama Sept. 25 and Sept. 26 at the JMU Convocation Center to open Sun Belt play. The Jaguars were picked to finish second in the SBC West Division preseason poll and have gone 5-7 in non-conference action this fall. JMU and USA last saw each other in the 2025 SBC Semifinals, a 3-2 win for the Dukes.
LD&B Insurance Invitational All-Tournament Team
Kennedy Louisell, JMU
Sydney Lewis, JMU
Allie Sweet, UNCG
Chloe Nussbaum, UNCG
Kiera Hamilton, George Mason
Aaliyah Mitchell, Delaware State
How We Got Here
Set One – JMU 25, George Mason 14
• With a 3-1 start to the match, JMU took the lead early. The Dukes and Patriots stayed close early before a 4-0 JMU run pushed the lead to 10-4, prompting a Mason timeout.
• The run stretched to 5-0 out of the break before a JMU service error got Mason back on the scoreboard.
• Mason pulled to within three (13-10) off a 3-0 run, but JMU settled back in and pushed its lead out to five once again (15-10) at the media break.
• JMU led by as many as 10 twice before taking set point and the win at 25-14. The Dukes did not trail at any point.
• The Dukes posted 8.0 blocks in the first set, led by 5.0 from Ayen Nhial.
Set Two – JMU 25, George Mason 18
• Mason jumped out to the early advantage, keeping JMU at bay until a 3-0 spurt from the Dukes put them up 7-6.
• The Dukes and Patriots started trading points before a 5-1 JMU run put JMU solidly in the lead. Another 3-0 scoring run pushed the Dukes to a 19-12 lead.
• JMU led by as many as eight (21-13) before a Mason timeout. The Patriots tallied the first point coming back from the break, but couldn’t close the gap any closer than six down the stretch.
Set Three – JMU 25, George Mason 20
• The Dukes used a 5-0 run to jump to a 6-2 lead early, but the Patriots responded with their own 6-0 run to take the 8-6 lead. A Kennedy Louisell kill, her ninth of the day, stopped the run, pulling JMU back within one.
• Mason took advantage of a JMU service error to regain a two-point advantage (9-7), but the Dukes responded with a 6-0 run to take a 13-9 lead.
• The Patriots were able to get as close as two points to the Dukes’ lead, but JMU never wavered.
Match Notes
• Head Coach Lauren Steinbrecher is 300-159 all-time at JMU, having won over 65 percent of the contests she’s been at the helm. She is the winningest coach in JMU volleyball history.
• JMU has won nine consecutive sets across three matches.
• Kennedy Louisell has reached double-digit kills in every outing this season, posting 13 kills today. She has reached double figures in 41 straight contests.
• As a team, JMU had 17.0 blocks, setting a new high mark for team blocks in a three-set contest.
• Ayen Nhial made 9.0 blocks this afternoon, tying the Convocation Center record for individual blocks in a three-set match. She holds the tying record as well, set against William & Mary on Sept. 21, 2025.
• Louisell tied her season high with 4.0 blocks.
• Ava Peters, who played in all three sets for the first time this season, finished with a team-best tying 13 assists and added 2.0 a team-high 2.0 aces with 6.0 digs.
— JMU Athletics —
