Marshall University Athletics
Marshall University
9-10,1-5Sun Belt
James Madison
12-6,5-1Sun Belt
Marshall Falls 3-1 at James Madison in Weekend Finale
10/10/2025 9:02:00 PM | Volleyball
HARRISONBURG, Va. – Marshall University Volleyball (9-10) dropped the second of back-to-back conference matches at James Madison, falling 3-1 (25-13, 25-19, 23-25, 25-19) on Friday evening.
"We made some adjustments with our serving which helped us defensively having JMU more out of system today," Herd Volleyball Head Coach Heather Stout. "Ultimately, our block and defense fell short which hindered us to get into an offensive flow. I thought Barnett played phenomenal and was offensive both front and back row. Cicca was a blocking threat which gave us huge momentum to take the third set. I also thought it was huge to have Caba libero today and get Geer back in the mix, they had some big plays down the stretch which held us in the match. We've been on the road the last two weeks, it'll be nice to be back home in Huntington next week and work to bounce back."
Emma Barnett led the Herd with a match-high 21 kills and added seven digs, anchoring Marshall's attack throughout four sets. Beatrice Ciccarelli contributed seven kills, four blocks and an ace for 10.5 total points. Marae Reilly hit a team-best .312 with five kills, while Bella Thompson distributed 38 assists and picked up six digs.
James Madison set the tone early in the opening set, racing out to an 8-1. The Dukes maintained control and took the frame 25-13.
The second set was closely contested through an 11-11 tie before James Madison used a mid-set run to pull away. Timely kills and blocks put the frame out of reach as the Dukes secured a 25-19 win and a 2-0 lead.
Marshall responded in set three, overcoming a late deficit to reach set point at 24-23. Barnett came through with a decisive kill to clinch the set 25-23, keeping the Herd alive.
In the fourth, James Madison led from the outset, but Marshall rallied to cut the deficit to 19-23 before the Dukes finished the match with a 25-19 victory.
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UP NEXT
Marshall returns home to face ULM on Thursday, Oct. 16 at 4 p.m. in the Cam Henderson Center.
