George Washington University Athletics
George Washington University
5-1
James Madison
4-3
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| George Washington | 25 | 25 | 25 | 3 |
| James Madison | 23 | 18 | 22 | 0 |
GW Volleyball Tops James Madison in Saturday Split
9/6/2014 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
GW 3, James Madison 0 | Hampton 3, GW 1
HARRISONBURG, Va. - The George Washington volleyball team rallied from a 3-1 loss to Hampton on Saturday morning to sweep host James Madison, 3-0, in the nightcap on the final day of the James Madison Invitational at Sinclair Gymnasium. Set scores were 25-23, 25-18, 25-22.GW (5-1) swung .246 (56k-23e-134a) in the nightcap while totaling 7.0 team blocks and out-digging James Madison by a 61-39 margin to avenge last season's five-set loss. With the win, GW improves its all-time record against JMU to 15-2.
The Colonials hit .244 in the first set and converted on 73-percent (17-of-23) of sideout opportunities to take the opening frame, 25-23. GW held a late 20-17 lead but James Madison (4-3) rallied to tie the set at 23-23 before GW used consecutive kills from junior Maggie Skjelbred and senior Kelsey Newman to clinch the frame.
GW's defense controlled the second set as James Madison registered just eight kills with five attack errors (.091). Newman totaled six second-set winners while the defense registered a 2-to-1 advantage in digs (19-8) en route to a 25-18 win.
The Colonials used a balanced attack in the third set to clinch the sweep with a 25-22 win. Newman led the way with eight kills while sophomore Loren Williams added six winners.
For the match, Newman led the way with 17 kills while Williams tallied a double-double with 12 kills and 14 digs. Sophomore Chidima Osuchukwu also finished with double-digit kills, posting 12 winners in addition to four blocks (one solo, three assists).
Junior Jordan Timmer registered 46 assists and 16 digs for her fourth double-double in six games.
The Colonials fell to Hampton, 3-1, on Saturday morning in a tightly-contested match. Set scores were 22-25, 25-18, 21-25, 23-25.
In total, the teams battled through 25 ties and 14 lead changes.
The first set was a back-and-forth battle in the early going before GW grabbed a two-point lead at 12-10. From there, the Colonials extended its lead to four points at 20-16 which forced Hampton to use its final timeout. The Pirates responded with a 9-2 run to steal the first set with a 25-22 win.
The Colonials responded in the second set with an impressive run of their own. Trailing 12-16, freshman Christina Porada went on a tear at the service line as GW tied the match at 16-16. GW yielded just two points from that point on, in total using a 13-2 run to tie the match at 1-1 with a 25-18 win.
GW held a late 19-18 lead in the third set but Hampton rallied on a set-closing 7-2 run to take a 2-1 lead in the match with a 25-21 victory.
The Colonials fought hard in the fourth set before ultimately conceding the set and the match. Trailing 13-18, GW embarked on a 8-1 run to take a two-point lead at 21-19. However, Hampton was able to regroup and score six of the final eight points to earn the victory with a 25-23 win.
Osuchukwu finished with 16 kills against just two errors for a .400 attack percentage. The reigning Atlantic 10 Defensive Player of the Week added nine blocks (one solo, eight assists).
Newman totaled her fourth double-double in five matches with a match-high 15 kills and 19 digs while Skjelbred and senior Landon Garvik each added nine kills apiece.
For the tournament, Newman led GW with 47 kills in 11 sets (4.27/set) while Osuchukwu was a force at the net with 18.0 total blocks (three solo, 15 assists).
Timmer facilitated the offense with an average of 11.10 helpers per set.
GW returns to action next weekend by hosting Baylor, Columbia and Southern Illinois for the Colonials Classic at the Charles E. Smith Center. The Colonials will face Columbia on Friday at 10:00 a.m. before a 7:00 p.m. tilt against Baylor. GW concludes the tournament on Saturday against Illinois State at 2:00 p.m.
