Third-seeded James Madison earned its second sweep of the 2002 Colonial Athletic Association Volleyball Tournament by defeating Hofstra 30-25, 30-27, 30-22. The Dukes move on to Sunday's championship match at 5 p.m. on JMU's home floor.

?œI think our effort was very balanced. This is the best that we've played as one unit,?ť stated James Madison coach Disa Garner, the 2002 CAA Co-Coach of the Year. ?œOur chemistry is outstanding right now and we are really playing well as one. These guys are on a mission and it's very obvious with our confidence.?ť

JMU (21-9, 13-3) was led by First Team All-CAA middle blocker Dana Jones (Fredericksburg, Va.), who led all players with 17 kills. She hit .293 while adding five digs and five blocks. CAA Co-Rookie of the Year Krysta Cannon (Cedar Park, Texas) averaged 12 assists per game. Senior hitter Larissa Winkler (Darlington, Pa.) had nine kills, eight digs, and hit .348.

Hofstra (24-7, 13-3) received 12 kills and three blocks from junior blocker April Nick (Monarch Beach, Calif.). Three Flying Dutchwomen had seven kills apiece. First Team All-CAA setter Brie Katz (Aurora, Colo.) averaged 10.7 assists per game. Hofstra was outhit .265 to .127 during the match.

JMU took charge of game one when the Dukes went on a six-point run with Jones holding serve, taking a 22-14 lead. Hofstra crawled to within 27-25, but the Dukes scored the final three points to claim game one. The Flying Dutchwomen registered three more kills than JMU with a total of 16 but also had five more errors with 11. Jones had five kills in the opening game while Laurel Givens (Vancouver, Wash.) of Hofstra had six.

The teams battled back and forth through an intense second game. Hofstra had a fast start with a 5-1 lead. JMU tied the score at 10. With the score tied at 16, Hofstra went on a three-point run only to see the Dukes tie it again at 22. Hofstra took a 26-24 lead before the Dukes again responded, this time scoring four straight and going up by two. The teams exchanged side outs before Givens sent an attempt into the net to give JMU the 30-27 win. Jones had a game-high seven kills.

JMU took control of the third game jumping out to a 10-5 advantage. Hofstra closed the gap to 10-9, but they got no closer than three for the remainder of the game. JMU pushed the lead to 21-13 and closed the game at 30-22. Jones and Winkler each had five kills. Nick had a game-high six kills on eight attempts.

Sunday's championship match will be a repeat of the 2000 final, which was also held at JMU. James Madison swept George Mason in that match to earn its second straight championship. The Dukes and Patriots split their regular season meetings this year with each team winning on its home court by a score of 3-2. This will be JMU's third championship appearance in the last four years.