MOBILE, Ala. (JMU Athletics) – James Madison volleyball rallied from a 2-1 deficit to win its 11th straight match, taking down South Alabama in five sets (16-25, 25-20, 18-25, 25-18, 15-9) on Friday night at Jaguar Gymnasium.
Kennedy Louisell led JMU (18-6, 11-1 Sun Belt) with 14 kills along with 10 digs, notching her 10th double-double of the season. South Alabama (13-10, 8-4 SBC) hit just .181 and had nine service errors in the loss.
The Dukes picked up their 11th straight win for just the seventh time in program history. Anna Wilson led the Dukes with seven blocks, while Ana Toumazatos pitched in with 12 kills.
Cambria Gaier led South Alabama with 19 kills, while Anna Loberg had 44 assists and nine digs.
How It Happened
First Set: South Alabama 25-16
• South Alabama jumped on JMU early, going ahead 13-5 and forcing a pair of Dukes’ timeouts.
• The Jaguars pushed the lead to 22-9 and cruised to a dominant win in the first.
Second Set: James Madison 25-20
• JMU led 9-6, but five straight points from South Alabama forced a timeout from the Dukes.
• The Jaguars scored five consecutive points to extend the advantage to 17-12 as JMU called another timeout.
• After the timeout, the Dukes stormed back and tied the set at 18-18
Third Set: South Alabama 25-18
• A kill from Cambria Gaier put the Jaguars up 14-5, and South Alabama extended its lead to 17-9 as JMU called a timeout.
• The Dukes got no closer than six as South Alabama went ahead 2-1 in the match.
Fourth Set: James Madison 25-18
• A kill from Toumazatos put the Dukes ahead 15-12 at the media timeout.
• Two attacking errors from South Alabama gave JMU a 20-13 lead, and the Dukes cruised to a fourth-set victory and forced a fifth.
Fifth Set: James Madison 15-9
• The Dukes rattled off five in a row to start the set, as Louisell registered three aces.
• South Alabama got to within three (9-6) on an Eva Dittmer kill, but a kill from Addie Norman and an ace from Rebecca Watkins pushed the lead back to 11-6.
• Up 12-9, the Dukes scored three straight to take the match.
Match Notes
• JMU improved to 4-4 against South Alabama and is 5-1 in five-set matches this season.
• Louisell’s 14 kills brought her season total to 489, moving her into second place on the JMU single-season kills list in the rally scoring era (2001-present). The school record is 552 kills by Janey Goodman in the 2016 season.
Up Next
JMU will stay on the road with a pair of matches against Old Dominion, Nov. 7-8 in Norfolk, Va.
— JMU Athletics —
