Volleyball Drops 3-1 Decision to College of Charleston

Sunday, October 5

Harrisonburg, Va.

1 p.m.

James Madison University

10-7 (2-2CAA)

College of Charleston

12-7 (4-0CAA)

CofC

James Madison

10/5/2014 3:23:00 PM | Volleyball

Box Score

HARRISONBURG, Va. - Senior middle blocker Lizzy Briones (Siloam Springs, Ark./Siloam Springs) knocked down 12 kills with a .300 attack percentage, but the James Madison volleyball team dropped a hard-fought 3-1 (22-25, 25-20, 25-21, 25-17) decision to College of Charleston on Sunday afternoon in Sinclair Gymnasium.

Briones was one of three Dukes (10-7, 2-2 CAA) to crack double figures in kills on Sunday, as sophomore outside hitter Janey Goodman (Powhatan, Va./Powhatan) and junior outside hitter Meghan Niski (St. Charles, Ill./St. Charles East) tallied 12 and 10, respectively. Niski completed her double-double with 11 digs, while junior setter Sarah Patterson (Roanoke, Va./Hidden Valley) notched a double-double of her own with 39 assists and 10 digs.

"We played another one of the top teams in our conference today," Head Coach Lauren Steinbrecher said. "We were disappointed not to get a win, but we know the level we need to reach to compete and beat these teams. Our goals haven't changed and we're looking forward to getting back in the gym this week to fine-tune some details in order to execute at the level we want to."

The first set was very back-and-forth until the Dukes reeled off five straight points, including three kills from Niski, to go up 11-7. The Cougars would battle back, tying the set at 14-14 and 15-15, but another 5-0 JMU run put the Dukes up for good. The teams traded points the rest of the way, as JMU closed out the set with a 25-22 win.

Charleston seized the momentum in second frame, winning the first four points and eventually lengthening the lead to 16-5. The Dukes battled back, going on a lengthy run and eventually fighting all the way back to a 22-20 deficit, but the Cougars closed out the set, 25-20, with three straight points.

The third set saw Charleston take another early lead, going up 8-3 in the first 11 points and not relinquishing the advantage. JMU could not quite make up the difference as the set carried on, as the Cougars triumphed, 25-21.

JMU fell behind early again in the fourth set, as Charleston went up 10-3 to open things up. JMU battled back for the third consecutive frame, pulling within three at 17-14, but a 4-1 Cougar run allowed them to eventually close things out at 25-17.

The Dukes played well defensively, despite the loss, racking up 13.5 blocks on the day, their highest total since a 15.0-block performance against Hofstra on Nov. 17, 2013. Freshman middle blocker Conner Beightol (Richmond, Va./Deep Run) led the way with seven, while Goodman notched six, including a solo block, and Briones tallied five.

JMU will be back in action next weekend, when it travels to Towson, Md. on Friday, Oct. 10 for a matchup with Towson.