NEW ORLEANS (JMU Athletics) – After going 3-0 at the LD&B Insurance Invitational, James Madison volleyball’s Kennedy Louisell is the Sun Belt Conference Offensive Player of the Week and Ayen Nhial is the Defensive Player of the Week.
This marks the first weekly honors for JMU volleyball in 2026. It is the second career Defensive Player of the Week nod for Nhial and sixth Offensive Player of the Week accolade for Louisell.
Louisell finished the weekend with 51 kills, including a season-high 24 against UNCG on Friday night. During that contest, she hit .524 (24-2-42) with 4.0 aces and 2.0 assists. This marked the first time a Duke has hit over .500 for a match (min. 12k) since Louisell hit .516 (17-1-31) against Bellarmine last season (9/5/25). Overall, she has reached double-digit kills in every outing this season and 41 straight contests dating back to last year.
Nhial was a force at the net, notching 24.0 blocks (2 bs, 22 ba) over 10 sets. Of those 24 blocks, 13 came against UNCG, a season high for the third year middle blocker. On Sunday against George Mason, she knocked down 9.0 attempts, tying the Convocation Center record for individual blocks in a three-set match. She was part of the team’s 17.0 total blocks, a team record for blocks in a three-set contest.
The Dukes went a perfect 3-0 over 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. They now look ahead to SBC play, as JMU hosts South Alabama for a pair of matches at the Convocation Center Sept. 25 and Sept. 26.
— JMU Athletics —
