NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- Katelyn Newsome pieced together an electric effort, highlighted by seven kills and six blocks, as the junior helped carry the 20th-ranked Christopher Newport volleyball team past Gallaudet, 3-0 (25-20, 25-10, 25-18), during a non-conference battle on Tuesday evening at the Freeman Center.
Hitting .583 against the Bison, Newsome finished with seven kills on just 12 swings. She also contributed a team-high six blocks and capped off her evening with a pair of aces. Also shining on Tuesday,
Katie Piper pounded six kills and four aces, while
Briana Sutton tied for the team lead with seven kills. On the defensive side,
Rachel Close pocketed 16 digs to anchor the back row.
With the victory, Christopher Newport improves to 18-7 on the season. The setback drops Gallaudet to 14-14.
From the outset, the Captains took control and set the tone. Newsome and Sutton both blistered early kills and teamed up on a block to give the hosts a quick lead. Later, during a five-point run,
Hope Webb launched back-to-back aces and
Riley Garrison hammered a kill to snatch a 12-7 advantage heading into a Gallaudet timeout.
Although the visitors capitalized on the stoppage and eventually pulled back within three, Christopher Newport never withered. Capitalizing on both brute strength and a little luck, Newsome spun an overpass off a defender and into the stands before Webb dug a well-placed shot by the Bison and sent the ball spinning skyward. The ball eventually caught the top of the net, danced on the tape, and settled in for a highlight-reel kill, which forced GU to burn another timeout trailing, 20-14.
Following the break, Garrison added two more kills, including a gorgeous tip off the near sideline, before Sutton crushed a cross-court dagger off a Gallaudet defender to help ice the stanza, 25-20.
With one set in the bag, Piper pieced together a nice little run to get the Captains rolling again in the second. The freshman phenom took over at the service line and guided CNU to an eight-point surge, which gave the hosts a 12-2 lead. The run was highlighted by three aces, including one bullet that caught a defender in the chest.
Holding a comfortable advantage, Garrison came back with two more kills and a tremendous solo block, while
Maddie McCann tattooed the far sideline with a thunderous shot. Showing off her diversified skill set, Piper also contributed another kill and had a great up off a tough Bison attack, which eventually led to a GU error. With little left to prove, Sutton came back with another clinching kill to seal the second set, 25-10.
In the third, Gallaudet managed to slip out to a modest 9-6 lead before CNU started to chip away at the deficit. Garrison sent back an overpass before
Rachel Blitt slammed a kill off a block attempt to help the Captains even the score at 10. Later, Blitt added another dart, and Garrison fired an ace to keep the set locked at 12 before Christopher Newport began to pull away.
Leading the late surge, Newsome was nothing short of sensational at the end of the final frame. During a five-point run, she came through with two kills and a block. Later, during a separate five-point surge, she added a kill and two rejections. Her first block was assisted by McCann before
Tylar McGill joined the duo for a rare triple block on the way to a 22-16 edge.
Fittingly, Newsome closed things out with one final surge. After swatting a kill off the face of a blocker, the third-year star laced back-to-back aces to close out the 25-18 triumph.
Webb finished with 16 assists during two sets of work before McGill added nine in the final frame. Along with Close's efforts on the back row,
Evelyn Harper and
Katie Crofford both converted all eight of their reception attempts.
Josie Lucernoni was also four-for-four on serve-receive and added six digs.
Christopher Newport will return to action on Friday with a 6 p.m. battle against York (Pa.) at the Freeman Center.
---CNU---
