HARRISONBURG, Va. – App State used a balanced offense and a stout defense to storm back from a 2-0 deficit to take down James Madison (23-25, 23-25, 25-21, 26-24, 15-9) on Friday evening in Sun Belt Conference volleyball action inside the Convocation Center.

JMU (5-7, 0-2) finished with 18 blocks, but App State (8-5, 2-0) held JMU to .151 hitting and also recorded 76 digs and 10 blocks.

Junior Brenya Reid led the Dukes, finishing with career-highs in kills (21) and digs (10), as the outside hitter recorded the first double-double of her career. Sarah Schnell totaled 12 kills and 12 blocks – both career-bests, while Jaydyn Clemmer picked up 23 digs. Olivia Vance notched 12 kills and Rebecca Watkins finished with 26 assists.

Four App State players finished with double-digit kills, led by Maya Winterhoff’s 15. Elise Marchal and Addison Heidemann picked up double-digit digs, while Heidemann also recorded a career-high 54 assists.

How It Happened
First Set: James Madison 25-23
• App State gained an early advantage, jumping ahead 15-10 at the media timeout.
• The Mountaineers held a 22-19 lead before the Dukes scored six of the last seven points of the set to come away with the victory and take a 1-0 lead.
• JMU’s block came alive as the Dukes blocked the Mountaineers three times in the last four points of the set.

Second Set: James Madison 25-23
• The Dukes jumped to a 7-2 lead before App State called a timeout.
• JMU held a seven-point lead (18-11) before the Mountaineers rattled off six in a row to bring the score to 18-17 and later tie it at 19-19.
• Lulu Ambrose picked up a kill to cut the App State deficit to 24-23 but a side-out kill from Reid gave the Dukes a 2-0 lead.

Third Set: App State 25-21
• JMU gained an early lead (8-4) but the Mountaineers clawed back to take a 13-12 lead on a kill from Ava Leahy.
• App State pulled ahead 22-17, the Dukes scored four in a row, capped off by two aces from Annie Smith, to cut the lead to 22-21.
• The Mountaineers scored three in a row to fend off JMU and force a fourth set.

Fourth Set: App State 26-24
• App State forced a JMU timeout on consecutive kills from Winterhoff, making the score 13-9.
• Down 20-13, eight consecutive points from the Dukes gave the home team a 21-20 lead. The run was capped with an ace from Julia McNeley.
• JMU gained a 24-23 lead on a kill from Schnell before the Mountaineers prevailed on two straight kills from Winterhoff.

Fifth Set: App State 15-9
• The teams switched sides with JMU holding a slim 8-7 lead.
• After the Dukes took back a 9-8 advantage on a kill from Smith, the visitors stormed to a five-set victory to secure the reverse sweep.

Match Notes
• The attendance of 755 is the second highest at the Convocation Center since JMU moved to the arena ahead of the 2023 season.
• Sarah Schnell’s 12 total blocks are the most for a JMU player since at least 2016.
• It is the first time the Dukes have lost a match leading 2-0 since Sept. 6, 2019 against Kennesaw State.
Up Next
JMU will travel to Atlanta to take on Georgia State on Oct. 4-5.

— JMU Athletics —