NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- Briana Sutton unloaded 13 kills and
Brooke Moore cleaned up along the back row as the ninth-ranked Christopher Newport volleyball team advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament after taking down Gallaudet, 3-0 (25-16, 25-17, 25-19), on Friday evening during the first day of the Newport News Regional at the Freeman Center.
During the bout, Sutton hit .429, while Moore contributed 18 digs.
Rachel Conway also dished out 35 assists, and
Maddie McCann uncorked nine kills. The Captains also dominated on serve-receive, allowing just one ace to the Bison.
Jessie Kolden and
Abby McIntyre led the back-row efforts after converting all 24 of their reception attempts.
With the win, CNU improves to 32-3 and advances to the Regional Semifinals, which will be held on Saturday at 6 p.m. The Captains will take on Stevenson, who advanced following a 3-2 victory over Richard Stockton. The winner of Saturday's battle will contend for the Regional Championship on Sunday at 4 p.m.
In front of a packed house at the Freeman Center, the Captains jumped out to an early lead on the Bison in the first frame. Giving the fans much to cheer about, Sutton drilled four quick kills, while McIntyre spun an ace to snatch a 16-9 lead heading into a Gallaudet timeout.
The stoppage did little to stifle the Captains as Conway spun and dropped in a setter dump off a feed from Moore. Two rallies later, Sutton flashed some muscle after drilling a rocket off the defense that spiraled high over press row and kept CNU's lead at eight. Still giving Gallaudet fits, Sutton crushed a serve that got the Bison off-balance before McCann drove home a dart that led to another GU timeout.
Holding a 21-13 lead, Christopher Newport eased into the opening-set victory.
Krista Hughes and
Eliza Fisher teamed up on a block before a GU miscue gave CNU a 23-15 advantage. Two rallies later, Fisher smacked a kill before Kolden unleashed a back-row bullet that clinched the 25-16 victory.
In the second, the hosts got off to another strong start behind a well-balanced attack. Fisher, Conway, and Sutton all dropped in early blasts before
Hannah Miller ripped a shot that caught the tape and trickled over for a perfectly-placed kill. Later, Conway blistered an ace before McCann abused the end line and Fisher went cross court with back-to-back kills to grab a 16-10 lead heading into a GU timeout.
Although Gallaudet was able to steal back a little of the momentum, Christopher Newport responded with a vengeance. The Captains won five straight rallies to snare a 21-12 edge. Shortly thereafter, Miller drilled a kill off a Bison defender before Sutton wrapped things up with one final rocket to nail down a 25-17 victory.
With a two-set advantage, CNU found itself in a bit of a back-and-forth affair during the early part of the third set.
Rachel Close came through with an ace and Sutton dropped in three kills, including a gravity-defying shot that she drilled off the very top of the Bison block on the way to a 9-7 lead. Looking for a little more breathing room, Moore popped an ace before McCann took control. The second-year standout clubbed four kills during the middle of the set to help CNU keep a two-point advantage at 17-15.
Later, McIntyre snapped off an ace and Sutton hammered home two more kills to push the lead to 22-18. Fittingly, McCann closed out the match with another impressive run. First, she won a joust along the net to collect a hard-fought kill. One rally later, she secured match-point after painting the back line with another bullet before a Bison miscue capped off the frame, 25-19.
Overall, Christopher Newport finished the contest with a .316 hitting percentage while limiting the Bison to an .046 mark. Hughes was economical along the front line with four kills on nine swings, while Fisher added seven on 18 attempts. Miller also notched six kills and a block, while Sutton and Conway both pocketed six digs.
---CNU---
