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James Madison volleyball outside hitter Miëtte Veldman and middle blocker Sophie Davis were among 12 players selected first-team All-Sun Belt. Veldman, a senior, is a graduate of Lord Botetourt High School.
The duo has combined for 662 kills this season as both have climbed the career kills leaderboard for JMU. Davis recorded her 1,000th kill on Sept. 9 in a win over New Hampshire, while Veldman reached 1,000 a week later in a loss to No. 8 Pitt. Currently, Veldman ranks seventh in school history with 1,233 kills, while Davis (1,231) is closely behind in eighth.
For the second-straight season, Veldman has paced the Dukes in kills, as the senior finished with 358 kills in the regular season (3.58 per set). Her average of 2.92 digs per set this season has also led to 11 double-doubles, including tying her career-high of 21 digs in the regular season finale against South Alabama on Nov. 10. Her career average of 3.94 kills per set is the second-most in school history.
James Madison earned an at-large bid to the 2023 Division I Women’s Volleyball Championship and will face Baylor in the opening round on Thursday, Nov. 30 in Lexington, Ky., the NCAA selection committee announced Sunday evening. The matchup between the Dukes and Bears is set for 4:30 p.m. at Rupp Arena and will be streamed on ESPN+.
The winner of JMU and Baylor will face the advancing team from No. 2 seed Kentucky and Wofford in the second round on Friday, Dec. 1 at 7 p.m.
