Box Score HARRISONBURG, Va. – James Madison used some dominant blocking and hit better than .300 as the Dukes swept the Norfolk State volleyball team, 3-0, on Friday night at the JMU Classic.
 
In the season opener for both teams at JMU's Sinclair Gymnasium, the Dukes came away with wins of 25-13, 25-15 and 25-17 over the three-set match. James Madison hit .360 with 12 blocks and forced the Spartans into 28 attack errors.
 
Lizzy Briones was a force at the net for the Dukes, finishing with 10 blocks and nine kills.
 
Junior Janay Frazier led NSU with eight kills. Junior Jessica Johnson added seven and freshman Hope Forsythe totaled six kills in her collegiate debut.
 
The Spartans kept the match the closest during the third set. Forsythe gave the Spartans an early lead in the set. After JMU scored four straight, NSU won four of the next five points, capped by a service ace from freshman Clarke Tyler.
 
The Dukes took a four-point lead at 13-9, but a kill from Forsythe and two errors on the Dukes kept NSU within one at 13-12. Up two at 17-15, JMU then put the match away by winning eight of the last 10 points on the night.
 
JMU's Janey Goodman had three kills during the last four points of the match and led all players with 11 kills overall.
 
NSU called timeout down 8-3 to start the match. It was not until they were down 17-8 that the Spartans finally won two straight points. The Dukes, though, won six of the last seven points of the set for their biggest set win on the night.
 
JMU used a 5-0 run near the start of the second set to extend its lead. The Spartans battled back, eventually getting to within three at 14-11 on a block by Forsythe and sophomore Dominique Parker. The Dukes called timeout a short time later when their lead shrank to two, and a few serves later they scored six straight to give them the second-set victory.
 
Junior Darcy Moore led NSU with 22 assists, and senior Noelle Eagles tallied nine digs. The Spartans hit .009 for the match. JMU held the edge in blocks, 12-3, and digs, 40-27.
 
NSU will play twice on Saturday, against Villanova at 10 a.m. and Charleston Southern at 5 p.m.