Dukes Win Sixth Straight with 3-0 Victory at Georgia State

Thursday, October 1

Atlanta, Ga.

6 p.m.

James Madison University

8-5,3-0Sun Belt

Georgia State

6-9,0-3Sun Belt

Team	1	2	3	Final F
James Madison	25	25	25	3
Georgia St.	17	23	15	0

Match Notes

Lindsey Large celebrates point against George Mason

Dukes Win Sixth Straight with 3-0 Victory at Georgia State

10/1/2026 8:44:00 PM | Volleyball

Box Score

ATLANTA, Ga. - James Madison volleyball (8-5, 3-0 SBC) stretched its win streak to six with a 3-0 win at Georgia State (6-9, 0-3 SBC) on Thursday evening.

The Dukes earned their first true road win of the season with their fifth straight sweep, going 25-17, 25-23 and 25-15 against the Panthers.

JMU took control of sets one and three early, but set two proved to be the grittiest victory. Georgia State either led or sat tied with JMU until the Dukes used a strong rally for a 19-18 advantage, their first of the set. The two teams once again started trading points, ending up tied at 23-all when Head Coach Lauren Steinbrecher called a timeout. After a combined 10 tied scores and three lead changes, the Dukes scored the final two points for a 25-23 set-two win.

The Dukes finished hitting .306 for the match (44-14-98) while limiting the Panthers to .130 (31-18-100). Kennedy Louisell led the way with 18 kills on .469 shooting, followed by Addie Norman with 9.0 kills (.353) and Ella Grace Holloway with 7.0 kills (.429).

Lindsey Large played her part with a career-high 25 assists to lead JMU in helpers.

JMU and Georgia State face off in league action again tomorrow, Oct. 2, at 6 p.m. in Atlanta.

How We Got Here
Set One - JMU 25, GSU 17

Tied early at 5-all, JMU used a 6-1 run to push ahead to an 11-6 lead, prompting a GSU timeout.
The Panthers were able to move back within four points twice before another Dukes' run (7-1) gave JMU a 19-9 advantage, its largest lead of the first set.
GSU never got closer than seven the rest of the way through the match.
By taking the first point, Georgia State took the first lead, but it was its lone lead of the set. JMU tallied the next two points to account for the lone lead change as part of a stretch where the teams tied each other five times.

Set Two - JMU 25, GSU 23

The Dukes and Panthers kept it tight early before a slow GSU push put the Panthers ahead by two.
JMU thought they had tied the match up, but two successful GSU challenges kept it a 2-point advantage (8-6, 9-7).
GSU was able to start pulling away off a brief spurt, 13-9, before a Louisell kill stopped the run. Her point started a JMU 3-0 run that pulled the Dukes back within one (13-12).
JMU tied it up at 16-all, starting a stretch of traded points between the Dukes and Panthers.
The Dukes earned their first lead of the set at 19-18 off a powerful rally effort, capped by a Louisell kill. JMU flipped the point trading, staying in the lead or remaining tied, until an out-of-bounds call gave the Dukes a 22-20 lead.
The Panthers stood tall, using a 3-1 spurt to re-tie the match at 23-all, resulting in a called timeout by JMU.
Out of the break, Louisell was credited with back-to-back kills to end the set and take a 2-0 match lead.
JMU and GSU sat tied 10 times and changed leads three times during set two.

Set Three - JMU 25, GSU 15

JMU opened on a 4-1 run, but GSU was not to be silenced as they quickly pulled within one.
The Dukes jumped on the effort, though, and went on a 5-0 scoring run. Georgia State called a timeout in an effort to stop the momentum.
The momentum rolled though, as JMU stretched the scoring run to 7-0 for a 11-3 lead. The Panthers finally got back on the board with a dump ball by the setter.
GSU used a 3-0 run of its own to cut into the JMU lead before Anna Wilson got a kill from the right side of the net.
The Dukes kept the Panthers at least five points back and led by as many as 11 (23-12). While GSU was able to get back within double digits (24-15), the Dukes got the final point for a 10-point set win (25-15) and the match.
JMU led wire-to-wire.

Match Notes

The Dukes are on a six-match win streak, including five straight sweeps, and have won 18 consecutive sets played.
JMU is 3-0 to open league play. Today's win is the first in-division victory for the Dukes.
JMU is now 19-6 all-time against Georgia State. The Dukes have won the last four and 12 of the last 13 meetings.
Kennedy Louisell had 18 kills, her 44th consecutive match in double figures and 33rd all-time eclipsing the 15-kill mark.
Lindsey Large set a career high with 25 assists.
Brenna Corbin tallied the first point of her career off a service ace.
Grace Wenrich tied her season high for digs (8).
Across three Sun Belt matches, the Dukes have kept their opponents below .200 hitting in each match. Today's .130 hitting percentage is the lowest of all three conference matches.
Overall, JMU has held opponents under .200 hitting in 11 of 13 matches. North Carolina (#25) and Colorado State (RV) are the lone opponents to eclipse that mark, and both are currently recognized in the AVCA National Poll.
Georgia State was only credited with 3.0 blocks, tied for the third-lowest by a JMU opponent this season, despite ranking 15th nationally in total blocks.
JMU was credited with nine blocks, led by 5.0 from Ayen Nhial. JMU leads the nation with 167.0 total blocks.