Sixth-Seeded JMU Upsets #3 Northeastern, 3-2
TOWSON,
Md. (November 16, 2012) - Sixth-seeded James Madison rallied from a 2-0 deficit
to upset third-seeded Northeastern, 3-2, in the first quarterfinal of the 2012
CAA Volleyball Championship. The Dukes will take on second-seeded Delaware in
the first semifinal tomorrow at 4:00 p.m.
Senior
outside hitter Danielle Erb led JMU (13-15, 5-7 CAA) with a career-high 26
kills, while junior libero Katie Daorai recorded a team-best 25 digs. Junior
outside hitter Hanna Gibeau led the Huskies (20-7, 9-3 CAA) with 22 kills,
while sophomore setter Jillian Briner finished with a match-high 31 assists and
added 26 digs.
The
Huskies jumped out to an early lead after taking the first set 25-21. Junior
outside hitter Kelly Bacon, the CAA Player of the Year, led the way with five kills
in the set and Briner added five assists.
The
second set was a back-and-forth affair, featuring 11 ties and six lead changes.
Neither team held a lead of more than three points as NU took a 2-0 lead in the
match after winning the set 25-22. Gibeau led the Huskies with 11 kills going
into the break, while Erb added 10 kills for the Dukes.
James
Madison fought off elimination in the third set with a slim 25-23 victory. The
stanza featured nine tie scores and four lead changes. Erb posted 11 kills to lead the Dukes into fourth
set.
The fourth set
featured multiple rallies from both teams and had to be settled with several
extra points. Following a four-point deficit late in the set, the Dukes seized
momentum and picked up a hard-fought 29-27 victory to tie the match at 2-2. JMU
fought off four Northeastern match-points late in the set.
JMU opened
the decisive fifth set with a 4-0 run. The Dukes kept up the offensive pressure
throughout the set and earned their biggest lead of the match at 11-5.
Following two more points from the Huskies, the Dukes won the match with a
Northeastern error at the net and completed the comeback victory.
Redshirt-senior
outside hitter Natalie Abel added 18 kills and 10 digs for the Dukes, while
senior setter Megan Wiechmann tallied 26 assists. Bacon finished with 20 kills
for NU, while junior setter Ina Kamenova added 27 assists. Sophomore libero Natalia
Skiba recorded a match-high 30 digs for the Huskies.
Tomorrow's
semifinal match between JMU and Delaware will feature the two youngest teams in
the CAA as the Dukes feature 11 underclassmen and the Blue Hens feature seven.