Volleyball beats VCU

The Dukes opened conference play Saturday, sweeping in-state rival Virginia Commonwealth University 30-18, 30-27 and 30-26, at Sinclair Gymnasium in Godwin Hall. The Dukes’ 17th straight victory over VCU was due to 13 kills turned in by sophomore middle blocker Ashley Copenhaver.

"I think the players were very excited tonight," coach Disa Garner said. "The upperclassmen have been preparing for this since January."

After a strong non-conference showing and the dominance the Dukes (11-2 overall) displayed, Copenhaver had great confidence heading into the rest of Colonial Athletic Association play.

"If we play up to our capability, we feel that we can beat everyone on our schedule," Copenhaver said.

With so much youth on the 2004 roster, Garner is relying heavily on the play of lone senior Katie Fuchs. Fuchs did not let her coach down on Saturday night, providing eight kills and a team-leading three blocks.

"Kate leads the conference in hitting percentage," Garner said. "We not only expect [excellent net play] out of her, but we rely on her for it."

The one-time first-team All-CAA middle blocker trained hard in the off-season for Saturday night’s conference opener.

"I want to go out there and play my best every night," Fuchs said. "It’s my last chance to play volleyball here and win a CAA championship."

The Dukes sprinted out of the gate at by winning the first six points of the first game. JMU maintained a steady lead throughout the game and finished with a hitting percentage of .417. During the 30-18 win, VCU’s hitting percentage was a meager .040.

The second game proved to be the sloppiest of the three, with the Dukes and Rams turning in a .143 and .161 hitting percentage, respectively. Garner attributed a few reasons to JMU’s sub-par play.

"I think in the second game we relaxed and backed off a little," Garner said. "I think that is the result of youth, and is something we will have to change throughout the year."

After prevailing in the second game, the Dukes held off a late rally by VCU to defeat the Rams 30-26 for their seventh-straight victory.

It was the 13th straight victory for the Dukes at Sinclair Gymnasium, dating back to last year. When asked about the winning streak, Garner was not about to rest on her laurels.

"Now this is a whole different ballgame," Garner said. "Non-conference play was good because we learned a lot about ourselves, but the record means nothing. We have to keep learning every night and striving toward our goal to make the conference tournament."

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