NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- Making a run at the program's seventh straight league championship, the Christopher Newport volleyball team will host the Capital Athletic Conference title bout on Saturday at 3 p.m. when the Captains welcome Salisbury to the Freeman Center.

After rolling to the CAC regular season championship, CNU earned the top seed in the tournament and now sits at 23-12 overall. Salisbury placed second in the league standings and boasts a 29-4 overall record coming into Saturday's championship match.

Rolling recently, both teams enter the finals with plenty of momentum. Christopher Newport has won 12 of its last 13 matches, while Salisbury has won 10 consecutive contests, which stands as the team's longest streak of the season.

Vying for a three-peat, Salisbury has secured the last two CAC championships and five of the previous six. CNU is looking for its first CAC title after stockpiling the last six crowns in the USA South before moving conferences over the summer.

In addition to live stats, a web stream of Saturday's action will be available on CNUsports.com. For those attending the contest, tickets are $5 for adults and $3 for children and seniors. Christopher Newport University students will be admitted free with a valid ID.

Not far removed from their last match-up, Christopher Newport topped Salisbury, 3-1, at the Freeman Center on October 2. Overall, the all-time series is tied 13-13 with CNU taking the last seven matches dating back to 2009.

Guiding the team from the middle of the front row, Chastity Lacy has pieced together a strong senior season. She currently ranks second on the team with 231 kills and has been a disruptive force defensively. Entering the championship match, she leads the CAC and ranks among the top-20 nationally with a 1.14 blocks-per-set average. Currently, her 123 rejections this year place her fifth on the program's single-season list.

Assisting Lacy along the front line, Hannah Miller stands fourth in the league with 94 blocks, including a team-high 30 solo stops. She has also clubbed 218 kills. Fellow freshman Briana Sutton has lit up the opposition from the outside, uncorking a team-best 269 blasts while hitting at a .254 clip.

Rachel Conway has been impressive as well, picking up the CAC Player of the Week Award twice since the middle of October. The sophomore setter has paced Christopher Newport with 739 assists, including a career-high 45 in her last outing against Marymount. That marked her second straight match with at least 40 helpers after dishing out 42 against No. 20 Stevenson as well.

Defensively, Brooke Moore and Rachel Close have provided the Captains with a strong presence along the back line. Moore leads the squad with 334 digs, while Close is averaging a team-best 3.39 per set. Jessie Kolden has been effective as well and leads CNU with a .952 reception percentage.

Entering the contest ranked among the NCAA leaders in attack percentage, Salisbury has been efficient on the offensive end while hitting at a .252 clip. Individually, Nikki Binetti leads the squad with a .341 mark after clubbing 166 kills on just 337 attempts. She also stands third on the team with 56 blocks, including seven solo stops.

Notching a team-high 318 kills, Mattie Smith has been a force on the outside for the Sea Gulls. Katie Stouffer has also posted 314 blasts, while Julie Poston has 259 to balance out a well-rounded unit. Setter Kacey Franz has helped distribute the ball, averaging just under seven assists per set.

Salisbury's back row has been anchored by Michelle Meehan, who has a 4.77 digs-per-set average. She has also been lethal from the service line, blasting 48 aces for the Sea Gulls.

---CNU---