HARRISONBURG, Va. – Kennedy Louisell finished with 17 kills and hit .484 (17-2-31) as James Madison volleyball won its fourth straight match with a sweep of Marshall on Thursday night at the Convocation Center.
JMU (11-6, 4-1 Sun Belt) hit .333 while holding Marshall (9-9, 1-4 SBC) to a .065 hitting percentage, the lowest for a JMU opponent this season. The Dukes also had nine blocks and eight service aces.
Along with Louisell’s 17 kills, freshman Ana Toumazatos added 10 kills with a .389 (10-3-18) hitting clip. Julia McNeley led the Dukes with 16 digs and a season-high three aces. Ayen Nhial led JMU with six blocks defensively, with Louisell tying a career-high four blocks.
Emma Barnett led Marshall with nine kills, while setter Bella Thompson had a double-double with 20 assists and 11 digs.
How It Happened
First Set: James Madison 25-15
JMU (11-6, 4-1 Sun Belt) hit .333 while holding Marshall (9-9, 1-4 SBC) to a .065 hitting percentage, the lowest for a JMU opponent this season. The Dukes also had nine blocks and eight service aces.
Along with Louisell’s 17 kills, freshman Ana Toumazatos added 10 kills with a .389 (10-3-18) hitting clip. Julia McNeley led the Dukes with 16 digs and a season-high three aces. Ayen Nhial led JMU with six blocks defensively, with Louisell tying a career-high four blocks.
Emma Barnett led Marshall with nine kills, while setter Bella Thompson had a double-double with 20 assists and 11 digs.
How It Happened
First Set: James Madison 25-15
- A kill from Barnett trimmed the JMU lead to 11-9, but the Dukes scored six straight to go ahead 17-9 and take control.
- The Herd battled to within five (20-15), but JMU closed out the first set with a 5-0 run, capped by an ace from McNeley.
Second Set: James Madison 25-18
- The Herd went ahead by four (12-8) on a kill from Carys Kerr before seven straight points from JMU gave the Dukes a 15-12 lead.
- A kill from Barnett trimmed the JMU advantage to 18-17, but the Dukes ended the set on a 7-1 run to take the second in dominating fashion.
Third Set: James Madison 25-15
- A kill from Louisell gave the Dukes a 14-8 lead and forced a JMU timeout.
- Marshall got no closer than four the rest of the way as the Dukes came away with a resounding victory.
Match Notes
- James Madison won its eighth straight match against Marshall, improving to 15-5 against the Thundering Herd and 7-0 as Sun Belt foes.
- Louisell’s 17 kills are tied for the most by a JMU player in a three-set match this season. Louisell also had 17 kills against Bellarmine on Sept. 5.
- The Dukes hit .333, the eighth time hitting over .300 in a match this season. JMU is hitting .270 as a team this season.
- JMU improved to 8-1 inside the Convocation Center this season.
Up Next
JMU and Marshall will play at 6 p.m. tomorrow night inside the Convocation Center, with a stream available on the Varsity Network App.
