CONWAY, S.C. (JMU Athletics) – Kennedy Louisell led a balanced James Madison attack, as the Dukes snapped Coastal Carolina’s six-match win streak with a four-set triumph (25-20, 22-25, 25-22, 25-22) on Friday night at the HTC Center.
Louisell had 16 kills to lead JMU (13-6, 6-1 Sun Belt) to its sixth straight win and move into a tie for first place in the Sun Belt East. Meanwhile, Coastal Carolina (14-5, 6-1 SBC) saw its six-match win streak come to an end.
Freshman Ana Toumazatos had 12 kills and hit .462, while Anna Wilson tied a career-high 10 kills. The Dukes hit .306 as a team, marking their third straight match hitting .300 or higher and 10th time overall. Additionally, Rebecca Watkins led JMU with 25 assists, while Grace Wenrich tallied 23.
Defensively, JMU had 10 blocks with Melisa Ilter, Ayen Nhial, and Anna Wilson all finishing with four. Julia McNeley had a season-high 23 digs, which also tied her career high.
Jalyn Stout had a triple double with 16 kills, 24 assists, and 15 digs to lead Coastal Carolina. Emily Fowler recorded 13 kills, while Anzley Rinard had 12.
How It Happened
First Set: James Madison 25-20
• JMU held a 15-13 lead at the media timeout as Ana Toumazatos picked up her third kill of the match.
• An ace from Anna Wilson put the Dukes ahead 19-16 and forced a timeout from Coastal.
• JMU pushed the lead to 21-16 and put away the Chanticleers in the first with kills from Louisell, Toumazatos, and Melisa Ilter.
Second Set: Coastal Carolina 25-22
• JMU held a slim 15-14 lead at the media timeout and pushed ahead 18-17 on a kill from Toumazatos. However, a 6-0 run for the Chanticleers made JMU call a pair of timeouts and gave CCU control.
• The Dukes fought off a set point, but Coastal evened the match and took the set on a kill from Stout.
Third Set: James Madison 25-22
• Four consecutive points, capped off with a kill from Wilson, gave JMU a 12-8 lead.
• The Dukes pushed ahead 15-11 at the media timeout on a kill from Nhial.
• An ace from Emily Fowler trimmed the JMU lead to one (18-17), but the Dukes scored four of five to swing ahead 22-18. Coastal got no closer than two points the rest of the way, as JMU went up 2-1.
Fourth Set: James Madison 25-22
• A block from Ilter and Ayen Nhial gave the Dukes a 15-14 lead at the media timeout.
• JMU scored four of five points to extend its lead to 19-15 and force another timeout from the Chanticleers.
• A Louisell kill gave the Dukes a 23-19 lead, and JMU closed out the match on a Coastal Carolina attacking error.
Match Notes
• JMU’s win in the first set snapped an 18-set winning streak for Coastal dating back to Sept. 27.
• JMU won its third straight match against Coastal Carolina, improving to 7-4 against the Chanticleers.
• Louisell finished with 16 kills, bringing her season total to 387. She now sits 10th in the JMU single-season kills list, surpassing Emilee Hussack’s mark of 385 in the 204 season.
Up Next
JMU and Coastal Carolina will wrap up their two-match set tomorrow at 2 p.m.
— JMU Athletics —
