HARRISONBURG — In some ways, Devon Merritt is the least highly regarded member of James Madison’s loaded junior class.

Kamiah Smalls, Lexie Barrier and Kayla Cooper-Williams earned All-Colonial Athletic Association honors this season, while Jackie Benitez, a former all-conference player at Siena before transferring to JMU and was recently named the CAA’s Sixth-Player of the Year.

Merritt, who moved into the starting lineup after two games when another high-profile junior, preseason All-CAA forward Kelly Koshuta, was dismissed from the team, has simply plugged away.

The Reading, Pa., product averages 7.8 points and 6.2 rebounds, but her importance to the Dukes has never been more clear as JMU (27-5) prepares to host Virginia Tech (22-11) on Thursday for a spot in the WNIT quarterfinals.

After getting outrebounded in the CAA Tournament loss to Hofstra, the Dukes have called on Merritt, along with Cooper-Williams to step it up both in the scoring and rebounding department and they’ve answered.

“Coach said Wake Forest [in December] was the last time we got outrebounded before Hofstra,” Merritt said. “So that was a big motivation for me and Kayla. We should be able to grab as many rebounds as we can. That’s kind of a staple for this program.”

Over the past five games, as JMU dealt with injuries to several players including Smalls and Barrier, Merritt has averaged 10.3 points and 7.8 rebounds per game. She nearly carried the Dukes to victory in the CAA Tournament with Smalls, Barrier and freshman Madison Green all out and followed it up with a 15-point, nine rebound performance in the opening round of the WNIT.

With the remarkable junior class, JMU is intent on getting past the Hokies and coach Kenny Brooks, the former Dukes coach who played a role in recruiting Merritt to JMU, as well as Smalls, Barrier and Cooper-Williams. Madison is hoping a deep run in the WNIT, combined with returning a core group of players, can lead to even bigger things next season.

And the emergence of Merritt only strengthens that idea.

With much of their backcourt scoring missing time recently, the Dukes have begun to see how they can use Merritt and her strong mid-range jumper as an offensive weapon.

“When we watched her in high school, she was an athletic kid,” Brooks said. “I remember watching a video where she dunked a volleyball. She didn’t play on a huge AAU circuit, but she was a good player and I always thought her best basketball was ahead of her. With her being thrust into a different situation she’s really blossomed. She’s turning into the player I always thought she would be.”

The result, when the Dukes are back to full strength next season, could be the option of playing even more through the post to open up the perimeter for outside shooters such as Smalls, Barrier and Benitez.

“We always want Kamiah and Lexie back on the floor,” Merritt said. “But we see that everybody can do a little bit more to step up and fill that hole in the offense. We can do a little bit extra to help fill that stat line.”