Live Stats // Video Stream
GALLOWAY, N.J. -- The fifth-ranked Christopher Newport volleyball team will kick off the NCAA Tournament on Friday at 3 p.m. when the Captains open up the NCAA Regionals against Hunter at the Stockton Sports Center in Galloway, New Jersey.
CNU comes into the match with a 29-2 record and earned an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament after winning the Capital Athletic Conference Championship last week. Meanwhile, Hunter enters the bout with a 23-13 mark and qualified for the national playoffs after winning the CUNYAC title.
For those fans unable to make it to New Jersey, Richard Stockton will provide live stats and a video stream of the action at StockonAthletics.com. Direct links to both features can be found at the top of this release and on the CNU schedule page.
NEW TO JERSEY Friday's contest will mark Christopher Newport's first-ever match in the state of New Jersey. Since the program was founded, the Captains have defeated four New Jersey institutions with victories over Kean, Ramapo, Rutgers-Newark, and Stevens Tech. However, the Captains have never actually played a match in the Garden State.
A LOOK AT THE CAPTAINS Entering the NCAA Tournament, CNU is riding a 17-match winning streak, which stands as the fourth-finest in program history and the fifth-longest active run in the nation. The Captains feature one of the nation's top-ranked attacks as the squad sits sixth nationally with a .262 hitting percentage.
Rachel Conway has helped facilitate the offense as the senior setter ranks 12th in the country with a 10.73 assists-per-set mark.
Hannah Miller has also been a focal point on the front row as the junior leads the team with a .322 hitting percentage. She ranks second on the squad with 287 kills and 92 blocks as well.
Helping balance out the offense,
Maddie McCann is third on the team with a 2.27 kills-per-set average, while
Abby McIntyre has clubbed 195 total blasts, including a pair of 20-kill outbursts during her last three appearances. The squad also features an outstanding defense as
Ashley Rock ranks among the league leaders with a 0.92 blocks-per-set average. The back row has been especially productive as well with
Rachel Close pocketing a team-high 422 digs, while McIntyre and
Evelyn Harper have collected at least 200 apiece.
LAST TIME OUT In their last action, the Captains won their third straight CAC title with a 3-0 victory over Salisbury at the Freeman Center on Saturday. During the championship bout, Miller punched 12 kills on just 18 swings. She also tied
Katelyn Newsome for the team-lead with five blocks. Rock contributed four rejections as well, while McCann clubbed nine kills. Close anchored the back row with 14 digs and a pristine 12-for-12 effort on serve-receive.
SCOUTING THE HAWKS Hunter punched its second straight ticket to the NCAA Tournament after winning the CUNYAC championship last week. The Hawks come into the postseason on a hot-streak as the team has won 10 of its last 11 matches. Hunter is led by CUNYAC Player of the Year Julia Connolly, who leads the team with 396 kills. She has also drilled 76 aces, which ranks 10th nationally. As a team, Hunter has been outstanding from the service line all season as the squad has tallied 319 aces, which ranks seventh in the NCAA.
Along with Connolly, Miranda Hogan was named the league's Rookie of the Year and currently sports an 8.69 assists-per-set average. She has also clubbed 52 aces. Meanwhile, on the defensive end, Haley Trunkett has a team-best 3.81 digs-per-set average, while Paolo Martinez leads the way with 73 blocks.
SERIES HISTORY Friday's match-up will be the first-ever meeting between Hunter and Christopher Newport.
UP NEXT The winner of Friday's contest will advance to the Regional semifinals, which will take place on Saturday at 2:30 p.m. The advancing team will take on the survivor of Friday's Randolph-Macon - Stevenson match.
---CNU---
