Volleyball Opens Sun Belt Action With Sweep of South Alabama

Friday, September 25

Harrisonburg, Va.

6 p.m.

James Madison University

6-5,1-0Sun Belt

South Alabama

5-8,0-1Sun Belt

Team	1	2	3	Final F
South Alabama	21	17	24	0
James Madison	25	25	26	3

Match Notes

Addie Norman flies high with the attack against South Alabama

Volleyball Opens Sun Belt Action With Sweep of South Alabama

9/25/2026 9:11:00 PM | Volleyball

Box Score Photo Gallery

HARRISONBURG, Va. - Capped by a nail-biting third set, James Madison volleyball (6-5, 1-0 SBC) swept South Alabama (5-8, 0-1 SBC) 3-0 to open Sun Belt Conference action on Friday afternoon.

JMU won the first two sets 25-21 and 25-17. In the third set, South Alabama either led or sat square with the Dukes until the 17th play of the set when JMU took a brief one-point advantage. The two teams continued trading points until a 3-0 USA scoring run gave the Jaguars a 15-13 lead into the media timeout, the largest lead of either team up to that point.

South Alabama led by as many as three (19-16) before a service error sparked a 4-0 JMU run to retake the lead. The Jaguars kept it close, tying up the set twice more, before the Dukes finished with the final two points of the set to take match point 26-24.

Overall, there were 24 tied scores and 10 lead changes during the contest. This included 13 tie scores and five lead changes in the decisive third set.

Offensively, JMU hit .323 (43-13-93) for the match, the team's best percentage for a three-set contest this season and second-best overall. At the same time, the Dukes limited the Jaguars to .192 hitting (37-17-104). This marks the ninth time this season JMU has kept an opponent below the .200 mark.

Kennedy Louisell and Addie Norman led the way with 15 and 10 kills, respectively. Of the 10 Dukes who played tonight, nine were credited with a kill.

The Dukes and Jaguars continue their opening weekend of league play on Saturday, September 26 with a 1 p.m. contest at the Convocation Center.

How We Got Here
Set One - JMU 25, USA 21

USA opened on a 4-0 run before Louisell slammed a kill straight down to get the Dukes on the board.
After trailing from the start, JMU went on a 5-0 scoring run to take its first lead of the day at 7-6.
Off three tie scores and two lead changes, South Alabama put together its own 5-0 scoring run to go back in front 12-9.
JMU regained the lead at 16-15, sparking a stretch that included three tied scores. JMU was able to move ahead to a three-point lead (21-18) coming off a lengthy review for a net violation that ended in a replay.
USA clawed back to within one (21-20) before Addie Norman made her team-leading 7th kill of the set to push the lead back out. It sparked a 3-0 scoring run for the Dukes, bringing them to set point.
The Jaguars got one more point but JMU finished the set with a soft kill by Kennedy Louisell.
Addie Norman led all scorers with 7 kills, hitting .600 (7-1-10).
The two teams exchanged the lead three times and sat tied eight times.

Set Two - JMU 25, USA 17

JMU opened the scoring early, but USA answered to tie it up at 2-all.
The Dukes used a 6-0 scoring spurt to take a 9-4 advantage, ending a stretch that saw two lead changes and three tied scores.
While JMU pushed the lead out to six twice, South Alabama kept battling to stay within striking distance. They pulled within three at 13-10 before JMU took a 15-10 lead into the media break. The Dukes jumped out to an 18-11 advantage before the Jaguars called a timeout to talk things out.
South Alabama pulled within six (19-13) before JMU utilized a 5-0 scoring run to take the first double-digit lead of the day (24-13).
Sitting on set point, a 4-0 stretch by the Jaguars kept the set alive before a USA attacking error ended set two 25-17.

Set Three - JMU 26, USA 24

South Alabama got the scoring started, tallying the first two points of the set.
The Jaguars kept the Dukes behind them until a kill by Ana Toumazatos tied the match at 5-5, which held up under a USA challenge. South Alabama regained the lead off a JMU service error that immediately followed.
The Dukes knotted the match again at 6-all off a block by Addie Norman and Ayen Nhial. Combined, the Jaguars and Dukes were tied four times before JMU took their first lead of the game at 9-8 off a successful challenge.
USA and JMU continued trading points before the Jaguars used a 3-0 scoring run to take a 15-13 advantage heading into the media timeout, equaling the largest lead of the set after nine tie scores and four lead changes.
Coming out of the break, JMU scored back-to-back points to tie the set for the 10th time, but South Alabama answered to retake a two-point lead (17-15) and prompted a timeout call by head coach Lauren Steinbrecher.
USA led by three (19-16) before a service error got JMU back on the scoring side, starting a 3-0 run to tie the score for the 11th time in the set, which caused South Alabama to call a timeout. The run continued out of the break to 4-0, the fifth lead change of the set at 20-19.
A point coming out of another called timeout by USA ended the run and tied the score up for a 12th time before JMU answered with back-to-back scores.
Match point was held off as USA tied the match back at 24-all before JMU notched the final two to take the sweeping win.

Match Notes

JMU is 6-0 at the Convocation Center this season, going 18-1 across all sets played (3-1 vs. UNCG, 9/18).
The Dukes have won four straight against the Jaguars to take a 6-4 series lead. This is their first 3-0 victory since 2022 in just the second meeting overall between the two programs.
Overall, there were 24 tied scores and 10 lead changes during the contest.
This is just the second time this season JMU has failed to reach double-digit blocks. Seven total blocks as a team is a season low.
JMU hit above .300 for the third time in the last four matches. Overall, the Dukes' .323 hitting percentage (43-13-93) is their second highest this season and best for a three-set match.
The Dukes tied their season low with just six service errors.
JMU held USA to just .192 hitting (37-17-104), the ninth time a JMU opponent has failed to break .200.
Kennedy Louisell reached double-digit kills for the 42nd straight match. She also reached at least 15 kills for the 32nd time in her career.
Grace Wenrich tied the team's individual season high for assists in a three-set bout with 18.
Addie Norman reached double-digit kills for the fourth time this season, knocking down 10 (.273, 10-4-22).
Norman added 4.0 total blocks, tying for team best with Anna Wilson.
Shelby Davis had a career-high eight digs.
Sydney Lewis had her first kill of the season, tying her career high for the seventh time.