HARRISONBURG, Va. (JMU Athletics) – The Sun Belt Conference announced on Tuesday evening that James Madison volleyball standout Kennedy Louisell was named the league’s 2025-26 Female Student-Athlete of the Year at the annual Sun Belt Honors Banquet. Louisell joins Peyton McDaniel of the JMU women’s basketball team as the second Duke to earn the honor (2024-25).
Louisell broke onto the Sun Belt scene making an immediate impact for JMU last year. In her first season competing in the purple and gold (2025), the Grand Rapids, Michigan, native collected a slew of awards, including Sun Belt Player of the Year, Sun Belt Newcomer of the Year, All-Sun Belt First Team, All-Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) First Team, AVCA East Region First Team honors, and American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Honorable Mention All-America honors. She was also named the JMU Female Athlete of the Year.
The outside hitter put up record-breaking numbers during the 2025 campaign. She finished the season ranking fourth nationally in points (676), fourth in kills (605), eighth in points per set (5.37), and eighth in kills per set (4.80). Her total kills and kills per set figures are the most by a Duke during the Division I era. Louisell also earned SBC Player of the Week five times during last year’s standout season (Sept. 8, Sept. 30, Oct. 7, Oct. 14, and Oct. 28).
Louisell didn’t just dominate the hardwood, but she also excelled in the classroom. Adding to her athletic accolades, Louisell also earned a spot on the 2025-26 Sun Belt Conference Academic Honor Roll, was on the Dean’s List (Fall of 2025), and was a JMU Athletic Director’s Scholar-Athlete (Spring 2026).
This week, Louisell, who leads the SBC in points (332.5), kills (280), service aces (35), points per set (5.45), and kills per set (4.59), and the Dukes play host to App State on Oct. 15-16 at the Convocation Center for a pair of 6 p.m. Sun Belt matches.
— JMU Athletics —
