JMU Downs Marshall in Four Sets

Saturday, October 12

Huntington, W.Va.

2 p.m.

James Madison University

8-8,3-3Sun Belt

Marshall

9-10,0-6Sun Belt

James Madison

Marshall

10/12/2024 4:54:00 PM | Volleyball

Box Score

HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – Brenya Reid and Jordan Smart each recorded double-doubles, powering James Madison volleyball past Marshall 25-21, 25-21, 21-25, 25-13 on Saturday afternoon at the Cam Henderson Center.

JMU improved to 8-8 and 3-3 in Sun Belt Conference play, hitting .312 and recording a season-high 85 digs. Marshall mustered only a .194 hitting percentage and had 21 attacking errors.

Reid finished with 20 kills, marking the third time in the last five contests the junior has recorded 20 kills or more. She also collected a career-high 17 digs, good for the third double-double of her career. Smart accumulated a career-high 51 assists and 17 digs for her first collegiate double-double.

Annie Smith hit .484 (16-1-31) while recording a career-high six service aces. Jaydyn Clemmer led the Dukes with 23 digs, and Julia McNeley eclipsed double-digit digs for the fifth straight match, notching 14.

Marshall was led by Beatrice Ciccarelli, who finished with 13 kills. Olivia Fogo totaled a match-high 27 digs, while setter Brynn Brown nearly had a triple-double, putting up 41 assists, 12 digs, and eight kills.

How It Happened
First Set: James Madison 25-21

Smith picked up three early kills and the Dukes led 15-9 at the media timeout.
A kill from Audrey Geer cut the JMU lead to 17-14, but the Dukes responded with a 5-2 run of their own to regain a seven-point advantage (22-15).
The trio of Ayen Nhial, Olivia Vance, and Reid picked up kills to finish off the Thundering Herd in the first.

Second Set: James Madison 25-21

Six consecutive points allowed JMU to build an 8-1 lead early.
Marshall cut the lead to 17-14 but two straight service aces from Smith cushioned the JMU advantage back to 20-14.
A 6-0 run for the Thundering Herd forced a Dukes timeout with the score 21-20.
Out of the timeout, Vance notched a kill and JMU's lead grew to 23-20 on a Marshall attacking error. Another kill from Vance and a service ace from McNeley gave the Dukes a 2-0 set advantage.

Third Set: Marshall 25-21

The third remained tightly contested through the media timeout, with Marshall holding a slim 15-14 lead at the break.
The Herd's lead grew to 21-18 on a service ace from Cicarelli, which prompted another JMU timeout.
The Dukes fell behind 22-18 but scored three in a row to trim their deficit to one (22-21), however, Marshall rattled off three straight to squeak out the set victory.

Fourth Set: James Madison 25-13

Savanah Cockrill and Vance combined for a block to force a Marshall timeout and give the Dukes a 12-5 lead.
The Herd would pull to within five (15-10), but JMU instantly scored three straight to go back ahead 18-10.
The Dukes capped off a dominant fourth set with a kill from Cockrill, giving JMU its third straight win.

Match Notes

James Madison won its seventh straight match against Marshall and is 14-5 all-time against the Thundering Herd.
In her last five matches, Reid has 99 kills, good for an average of 4.71 per set.
JMU's 85 total digs were the most since the Dukes had 91 at South Alabama on Nov. 10, 2023.
The Dukes' 62 team kills matched their 2024 single-match high and is the most in a four-set match this season.
Smart's 51 assists are the most for a JMU player since Caroline Dozier recorded 53 at Marshall on Nov. 5, 2022.

Up Next
JMU returns home to host Coastal Carolina in a rematch of the 2023 Sun Belt Championship Match, Oct. 18-19. The matches will be broadcast on ESPN+, with David Hulvey providing commentary.