DOVER, Del. -- Head coach Lindsay Birch captured her 400th career victory on Thursday evening as the 13th-ranked Christopher Newport volleyball team took down Wesley, 3-0 (25-8, 25-16, 25-8), during a Capital Athletic Conference clash at the Wentworth Gymnasium.

Making history against the Wolverines, Birch joined the 400-victory club in just her 13th season at the helm of the program. An eight-time Conference Coach of the Year, she is currently one of only three coaches at any level in the NCAA with at least 400 career victories and fewer than 100 losses. At the Division III level, her .802 winning percentage is the third highest among coaches with at least 400 wins.

Adding another chapter to Birch's legacy, Thursday's milestone victory marked her first win in the state of Delaware. With the addition of the First State, Birch's squads have now won at least one contest in 16 states as well as the District of Columbia. She has also recorded victories against 98 different programs hailing from every level of the NCAA since taking over the Captains in 2002.

Helping their coach make history, the Captains pieced together an impressive team victory against Wesley. The squad peppered the Wolverines with 18 aces, marking the most by the program since the 2007 campaign. Abby McIntyre led the way at the line with five winners, while Eliza Fisher unloaded four. Tylar McGill and Katelyn Newsome also roped three apiece to round out the heavy hitters.

Just as effective on the defensive end, CNU suffocated the Wesley attack with 10 blocks while limiting the opposition to a -.203 hitting percentage. Ashley Rock, who was celebrating her 21st birthday on Thursday, led the way with five rejections. Briana Sutton and Hannah Miller also played a role in three blocks apiece.

With the victory, Christopher Newport improves to 22-3 on the season and 4-0 in the CAC. The setback drops Wesley to 11-10 overall and 1-3 in league action.

Although the Wolverines stole the first three rallies of the match, it was all CNU after that point. Vaulting out to a huge lead in the first, McIntyre drilled four aces before Rachel Conway dropped in a pair of kills. Miller and Sutton also teamed up on back-to-back blocks during a nine-point streak, which gave the Captains an imposing 14-5 advantage.

Still rolling, Brooke Moore blistered an ace before Fisher took control and closed out the set. The freshman uncorked a kill and teamed with Rock on back-to-back blocks to seal the first frame, 25-8.

Similar to the first set, Christopher Newport stormed out to another big lead in the second and never looked back. Maddie McCann helped start things with a dart before Fisher took over at the line. After flashing her defensive skills in the first frame, she showed off her canon in the second with four straight aces. Later, Krista Hughes added a kill and Rock contributed a block and blast to lock down a familiar 14-5 lead.

Although Wesley was able to make a minor run in the middle of the set, the CNU defense continued to stifle the Wolverines. Rock joined forces with McCann and McGill on two rejections before Hughes and Newsome closed the door on another WC attack attempt to snatch a 19-14 advantage. From there, Newsome helped put an end to the stanza with a kill and two aces to clinch the second, 25-16.

Looking to close out the match quickly, the Captains took care of the third set as promptly as they handled the first two. Fisher and Nicole Nee jumpstarted the final push with early kills before Rock and Rachel Close each slammed aces. Later, McIntyre hammered home a pair of perfect passes by Brooke Sanders to continue the early onslaught. With a comfortable lead, CNU continued to inch away. McGill connected on three aces, while Fisher added two kills during a seven-point surge, which pushed the lead to 14-5 for the third straight frame.

Although Wesley momentarily halted the streak, CNU regrouped and simply orchestrated another seven-point run. This time, Jessie Kolden got things rolling with a kill before McIntyre contributed her fifth ace to seize a 21-6 lead. With nothing left to prove, Kolden chipped in with another kill before Newsome added the final few nails. Capping off a well-balanced night by the freshman, she teamed with Hughes on a block, earned match-point with a kill, and put an end to the action with an ace to clinch the 25-8 triumph.

Fisher and Rock both posted four kills for the Captains, while McGill contributed 10 assists. Christopher Newport also did fine work on serve-receive, converting 28 of the squad's 29 reception attempts, including perfect efforts by Close, Moore, McIntyre, and Evelyn Harper.

Christopher Newport will return to action on Saturday when the Captains kick off a five-match homestand with a noon battle against Penn State Harrisburg.

---CNU---