Chanticleers falls 3-2 to Dukes on Friday

HARRISONBURG, VA. – The Coastal Carolina volleyball team dropped its opening match of the weekend 3-2 (18-25, 25-16, 16-25, 25-22, 15-12) to the James Madison Dukes on Friday evening in Harrisonburg, Virginia. After the loss, the Chanticleers fell to 8-10 overall and 4-3 in the Sun Belt, while JMU improves to 9-8 on the season and 4-3 in league with the win.

Jalyn Stout scored a team-high 17 kills and 19 assists to pace the Chants’ offense, while Lauren Malone And Agata Lesiak ended with 12 and 10 kills respectively. Cagla Bengi led the team with 27 assists.

Defensively, CCU had seven total blocks Valentina Varani, Dilara UnalAnd Emma Van Elslande each stopped three kill attempts, while Stout and Lesiak each connected on two blocks at the net. Bailee Earnhardt (16) and Sydney Lewis (15) finished with double-digit digs while Stout added 14 digs and recorded her 10th triple-double.

The Dukes were followed by Bre Reid with a match-high 23 kills, with Annie Smith and Sarah Schnell adding 12 and 10 kills. Jordan Smart finished with a match-high 29 assists, while Rebecca Watkins added 16 helpers.

James Madison stopped 10 CCU kill attempts, with Ayen Nhial, Reid, Smith and Schnell stopping five, three, three and three spikes at the net, respectively. Jaydyn Clemmer finished with 27 digs each, while Reid added 13 digs.

In the opening set, JMU opened the set with a 3-0 spurt, with the Chanticleers answering with a 4-0 spurt, highlighted by a pair of kills from Lesiak. The two teams traded the next five points to stay tied at 6-6 before Coastal Carolina used an 8-2 surge for a 14-8 lead, including blocks from Van Elslande and Varani.

The Dukes defeated CCU 10-7 and trailed 21-18 over the next 17 rallies before the Chanticleers took a 1-0 match lead with the 25-18 win in the first set with a 4-0 run sparked by a Stout -kill and covered by the duo Van Elslande and Unal who together formed a block.

James Madison doubled the Chants at 8-4 to lead in set number two. Coastal used a 7-3 surge to tie the set at 11-11, highlighted by kills from Malone, Varani, Van Elslande and Unal. The Dukes responded with a 6-2 run to regain the lead at 17-13. The Dukes outscored the visitors 8-3 for a 25-16 second set victory to tie the match at 1-1.

In the third set, CCU took an 8-3 lead, including three kills Emily Fowler. The Chants used a 10-4 burst to increase the lead to 18-7, sparked by a JMU attack error and capped by an unforced Duke error. An 8-4 spurt from James Madison cut the deficit to 22-15 before a home team service error led to a 3-1 run and gave Coastal a 2-1 match lead with a 25-16 victory in the third set.

In set number four, the two teams traded the first 19 points, with CCU leading 10-9 before the Dukes jumped out to the lead with a 3-0 lead. The Chants answered by scoring five straight points to lead 15-12, highlighted by three kills by Stout.

JMU tied the game at 18-18 by defeating the Chanticleers 6-3. After a kill by Malone, James Madison scored six straight points to lead 24-19 before a 3-0 run by Coastal cut the Dukes lead to 24-22, including kills by Stout and Van Elslande. An unforced CCU error tied the match at 2-2 as the Dukes won 25-22 in the fourth set.

In the final set, the Chanticleers opened a 6-2 lead, sparked by a Duke error and capped by a Malone kill. James Madison responded with a 6-2 surge to tie the match at 8-8 before the two teams traded the next four rallies to remain deadlocked at 10-10. The Dukes defeated Coastal 5-2 and took the 3-2 match win with a 15-12 victory in the fifth set.

Coastal Carolina remains in Harrisonburg, Virginia, while the Chanticleers face James Madison on Saturday, October 19. Opening service is scheduled for 1:00 PM ET.

For complete CCU women’s volleyball coverage, follow the Chants on social media @CoastalVball (Twitter), facebook.com/CCUChanticleers (Facebook), @GoCCUSports (Instagram), or visit the official home of Coastal Carolina Athletics at www.GoCCUsports.com.