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NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- The fourth-ranked Christopher Newport volleyball team will host a pair of mid-week matches at the Freeman Center as the Captains will take on Mary Washington in a Capital Athletic Conference bout on Wednesday at 7 p.m. before squaring off with William Peace in their Dig Pink Match on Thursday at 7 p.m.
Thursday's Dig Pink Match is part of a national movement by the volleyball community to educate people about breast cancer and raise funds to support research. At CNU's match, fans are encouraged to wear pink, and the Captains will be selling T-shirts and having a 50/50 raffle to help support the cause.
The Captains enter Wednesday with an 18-2 record, including a 3-0 mark in league action. Mary Washington, who is receiving votes in the latest AVCA rankings, sits at 16-5 overall with a 3-1 conference record. William Peace currently sports a 15-7 record and will battle Mary Baldwin on Tuesday evening before heading to Newport News.
For those fans unable to make it to the mid-week action, live stats and a video 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.
A LOOK AT THE CAPTAINS Christopher Newport comes into Wednesday ranked ninth in the NCAA with a .258 hitting percentage. On an individual level,
Rachel Conway and
Briana Sutton also stand among the national leaders. Conway is currently seventh in the NCAA with a 10.94 assists-per-set average, while Sutton is 16th with 306 total kills.
Ashley Rock has been an imposing presence along the net as well and ranks in the top-100 nationally with 63 blocks.
Coming on strong over the last three weeks,
Hannah Miller is also hitting .377 in her previous nine appearances, including a season-high 17-kill outburst against Salisbury last Wednesday. Meanwhile,
Maddie McCann sits third on the team with 149 kills this season, while
Abby McIntyre boasts a team-high 27 aces. Anchoring the back row,
Rachel Close is averaging 3.68 digs-per-set, and both McIntyre and
Evelyn Harper are pocketing an average of two per frame
LAST TIME OUT On Saturday, Christopher Newport posted a pair of 3-0 victories over Frostburg State and Washington & Lee. During the doubleheader, Conway registered 69 assists, which bumped her career total to 3,062. She is just the fourth Captain in program history to reach the 3000-assist plateau. Sutton also clubbed a team-high 24 kills during Saturday's twin bill, while McIntyre added 19 kills and five aces.
SCOUTING THE OPPOSITION Mary Washington boasts a stout defensive unit, which has limited the opposition to a .108 hitting percentage. That currently leads the CAC and ranks 26th in the NCAA. Emma Murphy has paced the Eagles with 57 blocks this year, while Megan Payne has 56. Jenna Yost has been strong on the back row as well, pocketing 4.67 digs-per-set. Offensively, Rachel Hendricks has 251 kills, and Leslie Walters has 204. Emma Olson is also averaging 8.41 assists-per-set.
William Peace has won four matches in a row entering Tuesday's battle with Mary Baldwin. Liana Solomon has been one of the Pacers' top performers and has already tallied three triple-doubles this year, which ranks eighth in the NCAA. The junior leads the team with 415 assists and also has accumulated 155 kills and 144 digs. Additionally, Laura Bland is averaging a team-best 3.09 kills-per-set, while Carson Williams has collected 363 digs.
SERIES HISTORY Mary Washington and CNU have met 29 times with the Eagles holding a 21-8 edge in the all-time series. The Captains have won the last four meetings, including a 3-0 triumph in Fredericksburg last year.
William Peace and Christopher Newport were long-time USA South foes before CNU joined the Capital. The two programs have met 24 times with the Captains holding a perfect 24-0 mark in the series, including a 3-0 triumph last season at the Freeman Center.
UP NEXT Following the two mid-week matches, Christopher Newport will continue a busy week with a 5 p.m. match-up at Penn State Harrisburg on Saturday.
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