NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- Briana Sutton unloaded 10 kills and added a career-high four aces as the sophomore standout helped the 13th-ranked Christopher Newport volleyball team topple Southern Virginia, 3-0 (25-9, 25-14, 25-20) during a Capital Athletic Conference battle at the Freeman Center on Wednesday evening.
During the match, Sutton hit .444 while notching her 14th double-digit kill effort of the season. She was aided on the offensive end by
Hannah Miller, who contributed eight kills, and
Maddie McCann, who chipped in with seven.
Rachel Conway, who was celebrating her 21st birthday on Wednesday, enjoyed the evening with 16 assists and a pair of aces.
On the defensive end,
Ashley Rock registered a team-high four blocks, while Miller and
Eliza Fisher added three apiece. Guided by their efforts, the Captains eventually held the Knights to a -.045 hitting percentage during the three sets.
With the victory, Christopher Newport improves to 20-3 on the season and 2-0 in league action. The setback drops Southern Virginia to 13-7 with a 1-1 mark in CAC play.
From the outset, the Captains set the tone and stormed out to an early advantage in the first. McCann uncorked two kills, Conway and
Abby McIntyre each smacked aces, and the squad collected a pair of early blocks to seize a 14-5 edge heading into a Southern Virginia timeout. Although the visitors were able to steal the next three rallies after the break, CNU answered with a vengeance.
Fisher kicked off a six-point streak with a bullet before the freshman teamed with Rock on two straight blocks. Later, Sutton capped off the assault with an ace to snatch a huge 20-8 lead. From there, the hosts eased into the victory. Fisher sliced a cross-court kill to kick off the squad's final push before
Krista Hughes rolled a shot off the block to help wrap up a 25-9 victory.
In the second, the Captains used another early roll to put the set out of reach quickly. Rock kicked things off with a gorgeous display from the service line as the sophomore kept the Knights off-balance and dropped in a pair of aces during a four-point run. Later, Sutton peppered the visitors with three kills, Miller chimed in with a block and blast, and Conway spun an ace to snatch a double-digit lead at 15-5 heading into an SVU timeout.
Although Southern Virginia was able to win a few rallies in the middle of the frame, Christopher Newport never let them get much closer. Sutton dropped in a kill and ace on back-to-back rallies before Rock, McCann, and Miller strung together three blasts on the way to a 21-10 lead. After that point, Sutton drilled a shot off the block, Hughes popped a kill and won a joust at the net for another winner, and Sutton capped things off with an ace to ice the 25-14 triumph.
After two big victories in the first and second, the third frame was a bit more contentious. Although Miller jumpstarted an early streak with two kills, the Knights shot back and stole a 6-3 lead. Battling back, the Captains capitalized on an impressive diving dig by
Brooke Moore to keep a rally alive during a three-point streak, which knotted the frame at six.
Still in a tight battle, CNU earned a little breathing room behind a seven-point run. Sutton handled things from the line as she blistered an ace and continually kept the Knights on their heels. McCann also put together a solid run with two kills and a block to grab a 14-8 lead following another timeout by Southern Virginia.
Once again, the stoppage helped the Knights momentarily before the Captains closed out the match in style. Although the visitors whittled their deficit down to one at 14-13, CNU retaliated.
Katelyn Newsome got things jumping with a kill before Miller fired back-to-back bullets. Shortly thereafter, Sutton punished the Knights with three kills, including a perfectly-placed push that floated into the far corner for a 21-17 lead. After that, Newsome added another dart, Miller sent back a quick hitter with a beautiful reaction play at the net, and McIntyre wrapped things up with one final kill to cap off the 25-20 win.
During the match, Rock and Fisher both tallied four kills on just nine swings, while Hughes was a perfect 3-for-3 on her attack attempts.
Brooke Sanders also contributed nine assists for CNU, and Moore registered four digs and a 10-for-10 effort on serve-receive.
Christopher Newport will return to action on Friday when the squad hits the road for a 7 p.m. contest at Frostburg State.
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