NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- Receiving contributions from all 15 players on the roster, the fourth-ranked Christopher Newport volleyball team captured its eighth straight victory as the Captains swept William Peace, 3-0 (25-16, 25-12, 25-23), during a non-conference battle on Thursday evening at the Freeman Center.
Showing off its depth, CNU saw nine players record at least two kills and seven register a block against the Pacers.
Hannah Miller led the way with eight kills and six rejections, while
Briana Sutton also collected eight kills and added 10 digs.
Rachel Close was tremendous on the back row as well, notching a match-high 15 digs.
The Captains also cashed in with nine aces during the contest, including three by Close.
Abby McIntyre also pumped a pair and converted all 15 of her reception attempts on the defensive side as well.
With the victory, Christopher Newport improves to 20-2 on the season. The setback drops William Peace to 16-8.
From the outset, the Captains showed off their entire arsenal. At the beginning of the first frame, Miller collected a pair of blocks, McIntyre stung back-to-back aces, and Sutton tattooed a shot off a Peace block attempt following a solid up by
Evelyn Harper to snare a quick 11-3 lead. Later,
Ashley Rock kicked off her birthday celebration a day early as the senior drilled two straight kills before
Maddie McCann added a pair of her own to snatch a 16-4 edge heading into a Pacers timeout.
Following the stoppage, the young guns took over.
Katelyn Newsome destroyed a defender along the sideline with an absolute rocket before
Cat Boyle hammered a kill of her own. Still rolling,
Madi Wickens drilled an ace to push the lead to 21-10 before
Tylar McGill connected with Sutton and Miller on a pair of kills to help secure set-point. Although William Peace stuck around for a few rallies, Newsome eventually added the final nail as she rose up for tremendous solo stop to cap off the first, 25-16.
With a quick victory in the opener, CNU jumped out to another solid lead in the second.
Tessa Klimaitis kicked things off by tooling a Peace block attempt before Miller and
Rachel Conway added kills of their own and teamed up on a rejection. Later,
Kellyn DeChirico caught fire with a tremendous run as she frustrated the Pacers with three darts to headline an impressive mid-set surge. Close also snapped off three aces during a nine-point rally, while Sutton made a phenomenal diving dig on the back row before McIntyre smashed a kill to snare a 19-8 lead.
Holding another double-digit advantage, the Captains breezed to the victory. Once again, the squad flashed some youth as
Josie Lucernoni kept a play alive with a solid dig before DeChirico blasted her fourth kill of the frame to help secure set-point. Looking to close things out, Sutton came back with the clincher after blistering a laser off a defender to lock up the second, 25-12.
With the momentum clearly planted on the CNU sideline, the Captains benefitted from some fortunate bounces early in the third. Sutton demolished a shot that was kept alive by the Peace libero, but the ball snuck over the net and Miller finished the play off with a booming blast on the overpass. Shortly thereafter, McIntyre made an acrobatic play on the back row on a tough WPU attack. Diving for the ball, she eventually flipped head-over-heels to keep the play alive, and incredibly, her dig spun over the net and found nothing but open spaces for a rare overpass-kill to give the squad an 8-4 edge.
Facing another deficit, the Pacers slowly chipped away at CNU's lead. Although McCann laid in a pair of perfectly-placed tips and Klimaitis came through with a floater of her own, the visitors hung tough and evened the score at 16. Later, Sutton retaliated with a block and blast before Conway lined an ace, but Peace continued to trade blows and eventually snuck out to a 22-20 advantage.
Unfazed by the deficit, Newsome jumpstarted a late rally with a crucial kill before a pair of Peace miscues gave CNU a 23-22 lead. Having no interest in extending the contest any longer, Miller and McCann joined forces on a block to earn match-point before McIntyre added the final punctuation mark with a rocket to the near sideline to ice the third, 25-23.
Conway finished the match with 27 assists and a pair of blocks, while McGill added nine helpers and six digs. Along with Sutton and Miller's eight-kill efforts, McIntyre contributed five, while McCann and DeChirico added four apiece. Rock was economical as well with three kills on just three swings.
Remaining busy, the Captains will return to action on Saturday when the team heads to Penn State Harrisburg for a 5 p.m. bout in Middletown, Pa.
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