NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – Christopher Newport University capitalized on big runs during all three sets, and defeated Methodist University 25-13, 25-12, 25-11 in the semifinals of the 2009 USA South Conference Volleyball Tournament Friday night inside the Freeman Center. The top-seeded Captains improve to 32-6, while the fourth-seeded Monarchs fall to 19-11.

CNU advances to the USA South Tournament finals on Saturday at 5 pm against No. 2 seed North Carolina Wesleyan College, a hard-fought 3-2 winner over No. 4 seed Averett University in the night's first semifinal matchup.

Caitlyn Jensen led the Captains with 11 kills on just 14 attempts with one error for a .714 hitting percentage. Cory Harris and Chelsea McClure each had nine kills, while Nellie Gaca accumulated eight. Jessie Heavenrich dished out 37 assists, and paced the defensive unit collecting 12 digs to lead CNU.

Jalesty Washington had seven kills, and Kayci Miller handed out 19 assists to lead Methodist.

The Captains' defense limited the Monarchs to a .082 hitting percentage on 20 kills and 13 errors in 85 attempts.

Christopher Newport fared better offensively, hitting .326 for the match with 44 kills and 13 errors on 95 attempts, including at a .500 clip on 18 kills with one error on 34 attempts during the final set.

The winner of tomorrow's final will earn an automatic spot in the NCAA Division III Volleyball Tournament, which gets underway next week. The field, comprising of eight regionals with eight teams, will run next Thursday through Saturday. The pairings and sites will be announced Monday by the NCAA office. 

The box score