YORK, Pa. – Chastity Lacy and Briana Sutton shared the Capital Athletic Conference Player of the Year honor, while Lindsay Birch was named the league's top coach and both Rachel Conway and Hannah Miller secured second-team All-League accolades as the Christopher Newport volleyball team was well-represented on the annual CAC All-Conference teams, which were announced by the league office this morning.

Overall, the Captains swept the individual conference honors as Sutton was also named the CAC Rookie of the Year. She is the first freshman in the league to earn at least a share of the Player of the Year award since 1996.

The four honorees matched the most by any team in the conference, helping cap off CNU's banner first year in the CAC after the squad also claimed the regular season and tournament championships.

Lacy, the lone senior on the 2013 roster, earned Co-Player of the Year accolades and a spot on the first-team All-Conference squad following a tremendous effort along the front line. The middle blocker has devastated opposing offenses all year long while averaging a league-high 1.16 blocks-per-set. That rate also stands among the top-20 in the nation.

Equally effective in all facets of the game, Lacy has averaged 2.14 kills-per-set and punched 36 aces, which ranks second on the team. A 2012 honorable mention All-American selection, she also boasts a .252 hitting percentage and seven double-digit kill efforts this year.  Her 129 total blocks are tied for the third-most in a single-season in program history as well.

Sutton earned the individual honors for her performance on the outside as the first-year standout has continued to pepper opposing defenses. One of only two freshmen to earn first-team All-League accolades, she has paced CNU with a 2.58 kills-per-set average and a .260 hitting percentage. Overall, her 295 kills are the most by a Captain freshman since 2009.

Successful throughout the year, Sutton has been even greater over the last six weeks of the season. Since the beginning of October, she has 10 of her team-high 13 double-digit kill efforts, including a career-best 19 blasts against Marymount in the CAC semifinals. During that stretch, she was also honored as the CAC Player of the Week on October 29 and posted her first career double-double with 15 kills and 12 digs against St. Mary's on October 23.

During the season, Conway has helped pace the offense while also serving as an integral part of the team's defensive success. As the setter, she leads the Captains with 777 assists to go along with 29 aces. She has also contributed 82 blocks, which stands as the most by a CNU setter since 2000.

Over the past month, Conway has been especially successful, earning the CAC Player of the Week award twice while tallying at least 35 assists in each of the team's last five matches. She has also collected three double-doubles this year and was named to the Captains Classic All-Tournament team after opening the season with a 31-assist, 13-dig performance against Berry in August.

Like Sutton, Miller has been absolutely tremendous during her first season with the Captains. Providing a spark along the net, she is tied for second in the CAC with 30 solo blocks and ranks second on the team with 96 total rejections. Just as powerful on the offensive end, she sits third on the team with 228 kills and 292 points.

During the 2013 campaign, Miller has recorded eight double-digit kill efforts, including four over the last three weeks. Coming through in crucial situations, she roped 10 blasts against No. 20 Stevenson and added 10 more during the CAC Championship bout against Salisbury. She was also named to the Gargoyle Classic All-Tournament team after collecting 14 blocks and 36 kills during the prestigious invitational in September.

Guiding the Captains to their first CAC title and seventh straight conference championship, Birch has done an exceptional job on the sidelines. After graduating a record-breaking senior class in 2012, she has developed a young nucleus this season, which includes 12 players in either their first or second years of collegiate volleyball.

Despite the youthful look, Birch's squad still captured the CAC regular season and tournament championships while posting a perfect 8-0 mark in league play. On Friday, the squad will make its seventh straight NCAA Tournament appearance with a first-round bout against Cabrini in Huntingdon, Pa.

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