FROSTBURG, Md. -- Behind a pair of double-digit kill efforts by
Hannah Miller and
Eliza Fisher, the 13th-ranked Christopher Newport volleyball team stormed past Frostburg State, 3-0 (25-18, 25-16, 25-21), during a Capital Athletic Conference showdown on Friday evening at the Bobcat Arena.
Miller led the Captains with 13 kills while hitting at a .478 clip. Fisher was impressive as well, unloading 10 blasts to go along with a .421 hitting percentage.
Rachel Conway also dished out 34 assists and added seven digs, while
Briana Sutton clubbed seven kills and two aces.
On the defensive end,
Abby McIntyre pocketed a team-high eight digs, and Miller registered three blocks. Conway and Fisher also contributed a pair of rejections to help limit the Bobcats to a -.010 hitting percentage during the three sets.
With the victory, Christopher Newport improves to 21-3 on the season and 3-0 in league play. The win also marked the program's 130th consecutive regular season conference victory dating back to the 2006 campaign. The setback drops Frostburg State to 10-14 and 0-3 in CAC action.
Making an early statement in the match, the Captains vaulted out to a 5-0 lead while showing off the squad's impressive arsenal. During the run, Fisher, Miller, and
Maddie McCann all blasted the Bobcats with kills, while
Ashley Rock slung an ace. Leaving little to doubt, Miller and Fisher both added two more darts before Sutton smashed a kill of her own to seize a 16-11 lead heading into a Frostburg State timeout.
Although FSU was able to trade rallies in the middle of the set, CNU's lead was never truly in doubt at any point during the stanza. Eventually, Rock hammered home a pair of bullets at the tail end of the frame before McCann dropped in her third kill of the set to help cap off the 25-18 victory.
Following the same script that worked in the first frame, the Captains jumped all over Frostburg State early in the second. Fisher led the assault with two kills and a pair of blocks. Sutton and
Brooke Moore also landed aces before McCann and Miller tattooed the Bobcats with back-to-back rockets, which gave the visitors a comfortable 16-8 lead heading into FSU's second timeout of the set.
Although the hosts momentarily regrouped and won three straight rallies, CNU kept them at bay. Sutton and Miller were simply unstoppable as the two second-year stars combined for five kills, including two straight missiles by Sutton, to grab a 22-14 advantage. From there, the freshmen stepped up and closed out the frame. Fisher unloaded a blast before
Nicole Nee contributed her first career kill on the set's final rally to wrap up the 25-16 triumph.
Looking to cap off the sweep, the Captains lost the opening rally in the third, which marked the first and only time the squad trailed at any point during the entire match. The early blip aside, CNU cruised to a quick 15-5 lead following three kills and a block by Miller. Fisher also snapped off two darts during the early onslaught, while Conway contributed a block and ace to grab the 10-point advantage.
With a sizeable lead, things got a little hairy in the middle of the frame as Frostburg State pieced together its finest run of the match to pull back within one at 17-16. Fortunately, Christopher Newport never wavered and methodically responded. Miller kicked off the final push with a kill before teaming with Conway on a backbreaking block. Still rolling, Sutton drove in the last two nails as she punched a kill to help earn match-point before blistering an ace on the final rally, which sealed the 25-21 victory.
Overall, the Captains combined to hit .330 during the contest and committed just nine attack errors on 97 swings. Rock and Nee were especially economical up front as the two combined for five kills on seven attacks. Moore helped out on the defensive end after collecting six digs while converting all 14 of her reception attempts. McIntyre went 11-for-11 on serve-receive as well.
Christopher Newport will return to action on Thursday when the team treks to Dover, Delaware for a 6 p.m. battle with Wesley.
---CNU---
