HARRISONBURG, Va. — William & Mary volleyball fell to James Madison in straight sets, 25-18, 25-23, 25-23, in the final match of the Erie Insurance Invitational on Sunday at the JMU Convocation Center.
The opening set saw JMU (7-5) establish early control, jumping to a 3-0 lead. The Tribe (5-6) responded with key plays, including
Audrey Brcka's kill at 1-3 and a block by
Nicole Smith and
Olivia Esposito, narrowing the gap to 2-3. Despite the Tribe's efforts, highlighted by a service ace from
Avery Horejsi and multiple assists from
Shylah Swope, James Madison capitalized on W&M's errors and sustained their lead, eventually taking the set 25-18.
The second set began with W&M striking first as
Devereaux Hoxsie and Brcka contributed early kills, giving the visitors a brief lead. A strategic sequence saw
Beatriz Silva setting effectively for Brcka, resulting in a pivotal kill at 7-3. Despite the Tribe's efforts, including
Katherine Arnason's late kill to tie the set at 22-22, James Madison regained momentum. The set's closing moments were marked by a tense exchange, culminating in a 25-23 win for the home team, as a final kill by Kennedy Louisell sealed the set.
The third set began with a quick point for the Green and Gold as Esposito and Silva combined for a block, capitalizing on an error by JMU's Ayen Nhial. Despite JMU's early lead, the Tribe fought back with Smith and Arnason each contributing key kills to close the gap. A mid-set surge saw Brcka and Hoxsie string together consecutive points, closing the deficit to 20-19. In the final moments, W&M battled back with strong blocking from Esposito and Hoxsie to fend off a match point at 24-23, but ultimately fell short as Addie Norman's kill from Grace Wenrich sealed the 25-23 victory for James Madison.
Brcka was named to the All-Tournament Team, racking up 29 kills over three matches for the weekend.
GAME NUGGETS
