Box Score 1 | Box Score 2

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- The 25th-ranked Christopher Newport volleyball team kicked off its 2014 campaign in tremendous fashion as the squad pieced together a pair of sweeps after taking down Keene State, 3-0 (25-14, 25-11, 25-12) before toppling Washington & Lee, 3-0 (26-24, 25-16, 25-16) on the first day of the Captains Classic at the Freeman Center.

CNU was firing on all cylinders as the squad received key contributions from almost everyone on the roster. Hannah Miller headlined the day after leading the team with 22 kills and an incredible .474 hitting percentage. Briana Sutton also lit up the opposition, unloading 19 kills while hitting at a .333 clip. Maddie McCann contributed 18 kills as well, while Eliza Fisher was outstanding in her first collegiate action, launching 11 blasts, including eight in the nightcap against Washington & Lee.

Overall, the Captains compiled a .344 hitting percentage during the two matches. Rachel Conway helped pace the attack with 58 total assists, while Ashley Rock also did her part with eight kills and nary an error.

In the opener against Keene State, Christopher Newport battled to a 10-10 draw before finding its rhythm. After that point, Rock smacked back-to-back aces before Miller uncorked three straight kills to give the squad a 17-13 lead entering an Owl timeout. The stoppage did nothing to slow CNU's momentum. Eventually, Rock cranked three kills and Sutton showed off her canon with a dart to the center of the Keene State defense to seal the 25-14 victory.

Still rolling, the Captains jumped on the Owls in the second set. Fisher, Conway, and Brooke Moore all slung aces, while Sutton unloaded two more bullets to give the hosts a 14-6 edge heading into another Keene State timeout. Once again, the break did nothing as CNU simply went back to work. Rock and Fisher teamed up on a huge block to stymie the visitors before Miller and Sutton blasted back-to-back kills at the end of the frame to seal a 25-11 win.

Leading by two sets, Christopher Newport wasted no time putting the match away in the third. McCann took control in the early part of the set as the sophomore standout peppered the Owls with three quick kills. Miller also added a block and blast before McCann came back with another shot to give CNU a 13-6 advantage. With a quick victory at hand, Abby McIntyre crushed two straight aces before Moore added another one to give the squad match-point. One rally later, a Keene State miscue gave the Captains the sweep with a 25-12 triumph in the third frame.

Overall, Sutton and Miller both had 11 kills and hit above .500 against the Owls. Rock also connected on six of her eight swings, while McCann finished with nine kills. The defense also did its job as Moore contributed 12 digs to go along with a match-high four aces.

Following a short respite, the Captains returned to the court for an evening showdown with Washington & Lee. After splitting a pair of match-ups last year, the two teams looked incredibly even in the first frame. The Generals rolled out to an early 10-4 lead, but a CNU timeout was just what the hosts needed. Following the break, Sutton punched two kills, while Rock clubbed an ace and Conway and Miller joined forces on a block to knot the score at 15.

Back in the game, Christopher Newport finished strong. Conway teamed with Miller and Rock on two straight blocks before Sutton lined another laser entering a Washington & Lee timeout. Leading 21-18, the Captains turned to Fisher, and the visitors simply had no solution for the freshman southpaw. The first-year standout crushed two darts before a string of W&L miscues helped CNU seal a 26-24 win.

After a bit of a nail-biter in the first frame, the second set was much cleaner. Miller looked unstoppable at the start, clubbing five kills in the first nine rallies. Later, Sutton came through with a kill and ace to give the hosts a double-digit lead at 16-6. Although the Generals eventually whittled their deficit back down to four, they never got any closer. Sutton came through with two late kills before Fisher iced the frame with a tracer to seal the 25-16 win.

One set away from their second straight sweep, the Captains used a late push to dispatch of the Generals. Following an early 8-8 tie, Christopher Newport took off. Conway and Sutton both chipped in with a kill and ace, while Fisher and Rock teamed up on a rejection. McCann also got into the act with three late kills before Miller tagged two, including the kill shot, to lock up the sweep with a 25-16 win in the third.

Miller finished the match with 11 kills and a .364 hitting percentage, while McCann had nine blasts. Fisher and Sutton also contributed eight kills apiece, while Conway had 30 assists and three blocks during the three-set tilt. Moore led the defense once again with 11 digs. McIntyre and Rachel Close also did good work defensively, finishing with eight and seven, respectively.

Christopher Newport will return to action tomorrow for the final day of the Captains Classic. The squad will take on Carbini at noon before battling Bridgewater in the finale at 4 p.m.

---CNU---