Georgia Southern (14-6, 6-2) vs. James Madison (15-4, 9-1) Dates: Oct. 28 - 6 p.m., Oct. 29 - Noon | Hanner Fieldhouse Live Stats: Friday | Saturday  Live Video: Friday - ESPN+ | Saturday - ESPN+  Promos: Friday - Dig Pink | Saturday - Dig Pink, Volloween Series History

 

Georgia Southern	James Madison
Roster	Roster
Stats	Stats
Schedule	Schedule

Probable Starters (based on last match):
#1 Ashlyn Lovett
# 2 Meredith Eckard
#6 Rebekah Farthing
#7 Emily Jarome
#13 Baylor Bumford
#14 Grace Underwood
#20 Callaway Cason

• Georgia Southern plays host to James Madison in a battle of the top-two teams in the Sun Belt East Division standings.  Friday's match starts at 6 p.m., Saturday's begins at noon and both contests will air on ESPN+.

• Second-place Georgia Southern has won its last four and is coming off a pair of 3-1 home wins over Georgia State last weekend. 

• First-place James Madison has won its last six and is coming off two home wins over Coastal Carolina last weekend. The Dukes beat the Chanticleers 3-1 Friday and 3-0 Saturday.

• Georgia Southern leads the all-time series, which began in 2003, 2-1, and the Eagles have won the last two. The last meeting came in 2009. 

• GS is 7-1 at home this season and has won the last seven. James Madison is 5-3 on the road.

• Eagle head coach Chad Willis graduated from James Madison in 2005 and spent two seasons as a student assistant on the Dukes' coaching staff. He was part of a staff that led the Dukes to the 2000 Colonial Athletic Association title and NCAA Tournament appearance.

• Georgia Southern ranks sixth in the country in opponents' hitting percentage (.150) and 13th in aces (1.93), and the Eagles rank first in the Sun Belt in both categories. GS ranks second in the league in digs (15.41/set).

• Ashlyn Lovett ranks 10th in the nation and leads the Sun Belt in aces (0.57/set). The sophomore is second in the Sun Belt in digs (4.55/set), while Emily Jarome is sixth in the Sun Belt in kills (3.82/set).

• Baylor Bumford is nine blocks shy of 300 for her career, and Lovett notched her 500th career dig at the Tussle in the Triad Sept. 2.

• The Eagles' roster has been bolstered by three transfers who are making an impact this season. Jarome was a three-time All-CAA selection at Towson and led the Tigers to three CAA Tournament Championships and subsequent NCAA Tournament appearances. Jarome's Eagle debut was her 100th career match, and she has 1,289 career kills, 918 digs, 201 blocks and 98 aces. Grace Underwood, Jarome's club teammate on East Coast Power,  transferred from Delaware and has 293 career kills and 193 blocks. Callaway Cason transferred from Ole Miss and ranks fifth in the Sun Belt in assists (9.86/set). Bumford is also a transfer, having come to Georgia Southern from UNCW prior to the 2019 season.

• The Eagles had two home contests vs. Old Dominion canceled due to travel concerns caused by Hurricane Ian.

• Georgia Southern travels to Appalachian State for a pair of contests next weekend. The Eagles and Mountaineers square off at 6 p.m. Friday and 1 p.m. Saturday. GS caps the regular season by playing host to Troy Nov. 11 and 12. in Hanner Fieldhouse.