HARRISONBURG, Va. — Chelsea Gilmore led App State Volleyball to a dramatic 3-2 victory (22-25, 27-25, 18-25, 26-24, 16-14) over Sun Belt Conference rival James Madison on Thursday night with a team-high 19.5 points.   

Gilmore notched 11 kills on a .476 hitting percentage alongside four service aces and nine total blocks. Her net presence anchored a Mountaineers defense that recorded 12 total team blocks.   Bella Hutchens led App State with 16 kills, while Charlotte Thompson added 14. Setter Raegan Richardson dished out 41 assists and chipped in nine digs. On defense, MeMe Davis grabbed a team-leading 10 digs.   

Trailing 6-12 in the fifth set, App State (13-8, 6-1 SBC) sparked a pivotal five-point run to narrow the deficit before closing out the decisive frame 16-14 to complete the comeback.   

All three of App State's set victories went past the standard 25-point or 15-point set thresholds. James Madison (10-7, 5-2 SBC) was led by Kennedy Louisell, who registered a match-high 29 kills.

The Mountaineers and Dukes face each other again on Friday at 6 p.m. in Harrisonburg.

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