Three Tribe Players Record Double-Doubles As W&M Falls To JMU, 3-1

Abbi Owens, Lindsey Pflugner and Kim Mount Earn Double-Doubles

09/22/06 9:40PM

Harrisonburg, Va. - The William and Mary volleyball team fell to James Madison, 3-1 (30-15, 28-30, 30-21, 31-29), on Friday night in Harrisonburg, Va.

The Tribe (4-8,1-4) was led by a trio of players who recorded double-doubles. Sophomore Abbi Owens totaled a match-high 20 kills to go along with 12 digs. Freshman Lindsey Pflugner tallied 11 put-aways and 12 digs, while sophomore Kim Mount registered 45 assists and 11 digs. Senior Kathleen Hawley and sophomore Jo Sotto were solid defensively, earning 19 and 14 digs, respectively. Senior Sarah Long chipped in seven blocks.

In the opening game, W&M fell behind early as the Dukes jumped out to a 10-3 lead. Unable to recover from the slow start, JMU gradually extended the margin and maintained a double-digit margin throughout the latter portion of the first set.

Undeterred by the results of the initial game, the Tribe responded in the second stanza. Despite falling behind 4-1 early, the Green and Gold charged back and cut the deficit to just two, 10-8, minutes later. While the Dukes edged ahead, 15-10, the College scored five of the next six points to narrow the lead to a single point, 16-15. The Tribe eventually evened the count at 24 following a kill by Owens. With the score still knotted at 28, W&M registered the final two points to take the second game and even the contest.

Neither team was able to take a significant lead in the initial stages of the third game, as the teams found themselves even at 11. JMU managed four of the next five points, but W&M quickly responded to even the score at 16. With the set still tightly contested and the Tribe trailing by just one, 20-19, following a kill by Long, the Dukes pulled away with a 6-0 run en route to earning the third frame.

Like the previous game, the fourth stanza was even early with the teams deadlocked at seven. However, the Tribe rattled off three straight points, capped by a Pflugner kill, to take a narrow advantage. Unsatisfied with the three-point lead, the Green and Gold continued to push ahead, scoring seven of the next nine points to build a 17-9 cushion. JMU responded, though, and scored four unanswered points to cut the deficit in half. Following a W&M timeout, the Dukes continued their rally and eventually tied the score at 19. The teams battled back and forth during the next few minutes and once again found themselves knotted at 29 before JMU claimed the final two points to take the match.

The Tribe will be in action again when it plays at George Mason on Saturday at 5 p.m.

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