Volleyball heads north
Junior Allyson Halls leads by example for the JMU
By Jessica Merril, contributing writer
Posted on September 28, 2006

Junior middle blocker Allyson Halls knows when to show her emotional intensity on the court — while elevating her game play.

Halls ended her week by matching her career-high of 21 kills during a 3-2 win on Sunday over Virginia Commonwealth University. To top it all off, Halls was named the Colonial Athletic Association’s Co-Player of the Week.

The 6-foot-4 inch Halls is ranked fourth in the CAA with a .343 attacking percentage. Halls also ranks sixth in the CAA in points per game (4.49), eighth in blocks (1.14), eighth in kills per game (3.61) and leads the Dukes in each of these categories.

“She’s a competitive kid,” JMU head coach Disa Garner said. “She really loves to win and she absolutely hates to lose.”

Halls has developed into a leader for the Dukes.

Said assistant coach Kerri-Ann Grosso: “She’s gotten a lot stronger and is a smarter player. She can see the court a lot better, and her blocking has gotten a lot better due to her strength gained in the weight room.

“Allyson on the court knows she has to get it done. Block balls, score points; she knows what her job is this year and she’s doing it.”

Said Halls: “I constantly want the ball on the court. Give me the ball and if it’s game point, I’ll help our team gain more points.”

However, she has aspirations a little bigger than personal accolades.

“Winning the CAA championship this year is not only my goal, but the team’s,” said Halls. “This year we’re looking to be in the last game.”

That last game is scheduled for Nov. 19, and if the 9-5 Dukes hope to be there, they will need leaders like Halls to play well.

“When she kills she definitely gets her teammates up,” said Grosso. “She definitely has emotion, and I think her teammates enjoy it.”

Halls gets going after a big kill or block, and believes it helps the Dukes as much as it helps herself.

“If we get a big kill or block I go crazy,” Halls said. “And I think the team feeds off of that.”

The JMU women’s volleyball team does not appoint captains. However, Grosso said Halls understands that she has to play well for the Dukes to be successful.

“She’s a pretty integral part of our offense,” Garner said.

The Dukes face a challenging schedule in the week to come with match ups against first-place Hofstra and fourth-place Northeastern. JMU will play off of the energy that Halls personifies, coming off a five-game winning streak, which includes wins over CAA opponents VCU and William & Mary.

“We will definitely try and use momentum coming off 2-0 [this weekend],” Halls said.

JMU currently sits in third place for conference play with a record of 4-2. Thanks in part to Halls, JMU is currently ranked second in the CAA for kills per game and fourth in hitting percentage.

Said Garner: “She’s a great kid, she’s one of our best players here, we really love having her, and we’re looking forward to many great matches from her.”

You can catch Halls and the Dukes in their next home match on Oct. 10 against Radford.