HARRISONBURG, Va. – Miëtte Veldman racked up 15 kills, and James Madison volleyball extended its winning streak to seven with a 3-0 sweep of Georgia State Thursday evening at the Convocation Center.

The straight-sets victory (25-17, 25-19, 25-21) helped the Dukes improve to 14-4 overall as they remained unbeaten in Sun Belt Conference play, at 7-0. With the loss, Georgia State dropped to 5-13 (2-5 SBC). Since joining the league in 2022, JMU has gone 22-1 against league competition.

Along with Veldman’s 15 kills, Brenya Reid recorded 10 kills of her own, while Alex Kwasnik added seven kills and four blocks. Emma Klanica tallied a career-high five kills and added two blocks.

Caroline Dozier (20) and Rebecca Watkins (18) once again split time at setter, as the duo finished with 38 assists to help the Dukes outhit Georgia State .281 to .176.

The Panthers were led by nine kills and seven digs from Erin Wyatt, along with a match-high 22 digs from Livy Kowalkowski.

HOW IT HAPPENED
Set 1: JMU 25-17
• Two kills each from Veldman and Kwasnik gave the Dukes a 5-1 lead to set the tone in the set.
• A kill from Sophie Davis made the score 11-5, which forced a Georgia State timeout.
• Veldman, who dominated the set, added another kill, which pushed the lead to 20-9.
• After the Dukes extended the lead to 23-10, six straight GSU points cut the lead to six (23-16). However, JMU responded with a kill from Reid, and a Panther service error gave the Dukes a 25-17 win in the first set.

Set 2: JMU 25-19
• The Dukes carried their momentum into the second, as a kill from Klanica pushed the lead to 9-3, forcing a GSU timeout.
• The Panthers clawed back into the set, as the visitors scored five of six to cut the deficit to 12-9.
• JMU responded with four points in a row, which gave the hosts a 16-9 cushion. The Dukes grew the lead to as many as 10 (20-10) before an 8-3 run by Georgia State tightened the set at 23-18.
• A side-out kill from Davis stopped the surge and pushed JMU to set point (24-18), and after a point from the Panthers, Reid responded with a kill, which gave the Dukes the 2-0 set lead.

Set 3: JMU 25-21
• Once again, JMU jumped ahead early, as Rebecca Watkins’ team-leading 27th service ace gave the Dukes a 5-1 lead.
• The Panthers didn’t back down, tying the set at seven on a double block from Izzy Durnell and Akira Burt.
• The teams traded four points before a 3-0 spurt from JMU forced a Georgia State timeout with the score at 12-9.
• The Dukes continued to take control of the set, scoring four of the next five points for a 16-10 advantage
• The Panthers stormed back and took an 18-17 lead with three straight kills from Erin Wyatt. However, the Dukes answered with three straight, including a kill from Klanica and a service ace from Jaydyn Clemmer, which gave JMU a 20-18 lead.
• The back-and-forth third saw the visitors regain a 21-20 lead, but JMU slammed the door with five straight points to end the match. Consecutive service aces from Madilyn O’Toole sealed the Dukes’ seventh straight victory and third straight sweep.

UP NEXT
JMU and Georgia State wrap up their two-game series at 5 p.m. tomorrow at the Convocation Center.

— JMU Athletics —