Box Score

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – Behind a tremendous defensive effort, which held Wesley to a negative hitting percentage, the Christopher Newport volleyball team captured its fifth straight victory as CNU rolled past the Wolverines, 3-0 (25-17, 25-12, 25-19) during a Capital Athletic Conference battle on Tuesday evening at the Freeman Center.

During the match, the Captains posted 10 blocks and did strong work along the back row to stymie the Wesley attack. Chastity Lacy came through with seven rejections, while Rachel Conway assisted on four blocks to lead the front line. Brooke Moore excelled in the back with a match-high nine digs to go along with four aces as well.

On the offensive side of things, Briana Sutton clubbed 10 kills on just 14 swings, while Lacy added eight blasts. Conway also chipped in with 16 assists and three aces.

Guided by those efforts, Christopher Newport finished the match with a .278 hitting percentage while holding Wesley to a -.127 mark. That stands as CNU's finest defensive effort of the season and only the second time the squad has held its opposition to a negative number this year.

With the victory, Christopher Newport improves to 16-11 on the season, including 3-0 in the CAC. The setback drops Wesley to 15-8 overall and 1-3 in league action.

Although the two teams traded blows at the start of the match and found themselves deadlocked at four in the first set, CNU quickly asserted itself and pulled away. Ashley Rock came through with a block and blast, while Abby McIntyre assisted on a stop before chucking a kill and ace on the way to a 13-8 advantage. Following a Wesley timeout, Sutton stormed out of the break with three straight bullets to push the edge to 16-9.

With more than enough cushion, Christopher Newport closed out the set in a hurry. Krista Hughes came through with two late kills, while McIntyre also pumped a pair before a Wesley miscue sealed the 25-17 victory for the Captains.

The second set played much like the first as the teams battled to a 4-4 draw before CNU took off. Conway got things rolling with an ace before Hughes, McIntyre, Rock, and Sutton all added kills on the way to a 15-9 edge and a Wesley timeout.

Following the stoppage, Sutton and Lacy teamed up on a block before Moore caught fire from the service line. The junior libero hammered a pair of aces before the Wolverines called for another timeout. The break did nothing to alter the momentum as Moore simply ripped two more winners to push the lead to double-digits at 21-11. After that, Lacy collected a kill and block before Conway smacked an ace to close out the 25-12 win.

Trailing by two sets, Wesley found a rhythm in the third and fought to a 10-10 tie. Despite the early run by the visitors, CNU never caved. Evelyn Harper, who continued to shine along the back row, broke the tie with a kill before Sutton added a rocket and Conway dumped in an incredible reverse shot that caught the Wolverines by surprise. Although WC momentarily regrouped and pulled back within one, Lacy teamed with Sutton and Conway on three backbreaking blocks to grab a 17-13 lead.

With a four-point advantage, the Captains rolled from there. Chance Rye came through late with a pair of big blows before Hannah Miller contributed back-to-back kills to earn match-point at 24-17. Although Wesley staved off the inevitable for a few rallies, Conway and Miller came through with the perfect punctuation mark as the two standouts teamed up on one last rejection to seal the 25-19 win.

Harper eventually closed out the contest with eight digs, while Sutton also chimed in with three blocks. Paxton Crooks contributed 10 assists on the offensive end as well.

Christopher Newport will return to action on Friday when the Captains travel to Penn State Harrisburg for a 6 p.m. showdown.

---CNU---