HARRISONBURG, Va. – Junior
Jocelyn Kuilan posted a match-high 15 kills but it was not enough as the No. 2 Towson University volleyball team fell to No. 3 James Madison University in the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) semifinals Friday afternoon.
THE BASICS
James Madison 3, Towson 0 (17-25, 25-27, 21-25)
Sinclair Gymnasium, Harrisonburg, Va.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- The Dukes (22-5) jumped out to a 6-2 lead in the first set on a kill from Bryn Recker.
- Towson (26-5) scored six of the next 11 points and pulled to within three, 11-8. Junior Olamide Sonuga had a pair of block assists during that stretch while sophomore Silvia Grassini had a kill and a block assist.
- A kill from Sarah Martin gave James Madison a 15-11 advantage and Towson called timeout.
- Towson scored two of the three points out of the break. Sophomore Olivia Finckel's kill made it 16-13 in the stanza.
- The two teams battled down the stretch before a kill from Kelly Vahos gave James Madison a 25-17 set win.
- The second set was a back-and-forth battled that featured 14 ties and five lead changes.
- Neither team was able to take a lead of more than three points early and the two squads found themselves knotted at 16-16.
- A 3-0 run gave the Tigers a 19-16 lead and the Dukes called timeout.
- James Madison used a 7-2 run to take a 23-21 edge in the set. Recker had a pair of kills and a block assist during that stretch.
- Towson called its second timeout and after the break scored three straight points for a 24-23 lead. That run was highlighted by a pair of service aces from freshman Camryn Allen.
- The two teams traded points as a kill from junior Jocelyn Kuilan tied the set at 25-25.
- James Madison used back-to-back kills from Recker and Liv Crawley to slip by the Tigers, 27-25. The home team took a 2-0 lead in the match.
- With the third set tied at 4-4, Towson used a 5-2 run to take a 9-6 advantage. Senior Julymar Otero had a kill and a block assist during that stretch.
- Another kill from Otero gave Towson a 13-11 lead in the set.
- The Dukes used a 6-1 run to take a 17-14 advantage in the stanza.
- Towson pulled to within one, 19-18 on a kill from junior Carola Biver.
- However the Dukes scored six of the final nine points to claim a 25-21 set win and victory in the match.
BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
- For the second straight year, the Tigers fell to James Madison in the CAA semifinals. Towson is now 1-3 against the Dukes in the CAA Tournament.
- James Madison hit .230 in the contest while holding the Tigers to a .103 hitting percentage.
- Towson held a 9.0-8.0 edge in the blocking battle. Sonuga and Otero led the Tigers with five block assists each.
- Kuilan contributed a match-high 15 kill while hitting .314 with five digs and four blocks.
- Otero posted seven kills, 20 assists and nine digs in addition to her five blocks.
- Sophomore Marrisa Wonders finished with 13 assists while redshirt junior Anna Holehouse had a team-high 13 digs.
- Recker led James Madison with 12 kills and 11 digs.
After a strong 2017 season, the Tigers will wait to see if they receive a bid to the National Invitational Volleyball Championship (NIVC). The 32-team field for the NIVC will be announced the evening of the Sunday, Nov. 26 once the NCAA Tournament field is revealed.