Live Stats / Web Stream
NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- After wrapping up the regular season on an 11-match winning streak, the Christopher Newport volleyball team will kick off the postseason ranked ninth in the nation after the Captains continued to climb up the AVCA National Rankings while preparing for their semifinal match-up in the Capital Athletic Conference Tournament with St. Mary's on Thursday at 7 p.m. at the Freeman Center.
After cracking the top-10 last week, CNU continued to move up and settled into ninth in the latest poll released by the American Volleyball Coaches Association. In the rankings, the Captains earned 1008 points, which stands 64 away from eighth-place St. Thomas (Minn.).
The top-five in the poll remained unchanged as Calvin held onto the No. 1 spot, while Hope, Cal Lutheran, Wittenberg, and Washington-St. Louis slotted in behind the top-ranked Knights. Emory, Wisconsin-Stevens Point, and Juniata join St. Thomas and CNU in the second five.
Following a tremendous regular season, the Captains will open up their postseason run on Thursday against St. Mary's. Christopher Newport enters the playoffs as the No. 1 seed after compiling a 29-3 record, including a spotless 9-0 mark in league action. The Seahawks boast the No. 5 seed and earned their spot in the semifinals after upending Mary Washington, 3-1, on Tuesday. Overall, St. Mary's sits at 17-9 on the season.
For those fans unable to make it to Thursday's contest, live stats and a web stream will be available at CNUsports.com. Direct links to both features can be found at the top of this release and on the CNU schedule page.
The Captains and Seahawks have already met once this year with Christopher Newport picking up a 3-0 victory at the Freeman Center on October 22. During the match,
Maddie McCann posted nine kills on 19 swings, while
Ashley Rock had six blocks and five kills.
Rachel Conway also contributed 26 assists while uncorking three of the team's 10 aces.
Boasting one of the most potent attacks in the nation, CNU currently ranks fifth in the NCAA with a .271 hitting percentage. That also stands third on the program's all-time single-season list.
Hannah Miller has been the most efficient hitter this season, ranking 14th in the country with a .367 hitting percentage. The sophomore standout also sits 22nd nationally with a 1.09 blocks-per-set average and leads Christopher Newport with 298 kills.
Along with Miller, two of her classmates have also pieced together excellent campaigns for the Captains.
Briana Sutton leads the team with a 2.92 kills-per-set average, while McCann ranks third with a 2.56 mark. Equally potent along the front line, freshman
Eliza Fisher has blasted 218 kills while hitting at a .266 clip. She also sits second on the squad with 43 aces.
Helping distribute the ball, Conway ranks first in the CAC and 25th nationally with a 10.07 assists-per-set average. Anchoring the back line,
Brooke Moore leads CNU with a 3.70 digs-per-set mark.
Abby McIntyre has also pocketed 172 digs this season while blasting a team-high 51 aces.
St. Mary's enters the CAC semifinals having won four of its last five matches. On Tuesday, the squad upended Mary Washington in the first round of the tournament behind 10 kills by Mandy Goodspeed. Carissa Hill also collected 23 digs in the match, while Autumn Fisher pumped four aces.
Overall this season, Goodspeed leads the Seahawks with 256 kills, including seven against the Captains earlier this year. Brigid Morris has also averaged 2.04 kills-per-set this season, while Hill has collected a team-high 398 digs. Grace Chao has unloaded 42 aces as well.
The winner of Thursday's match will contend for the CAC Championship on Saturday. The advancing team will face the survivor of the Salisbury - Southern Virginia semifinal contest.
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