NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- The 20th-ranked Christopher Newport volleyball team capitalized on an impressive effort by its freshman class in the opener before the seniors led the way in the nightcap as the Captains took down Penn State Harrisburg, 3-0 (25-14, 25-18, 25-12), before toppling Washington & Lee, 3-0 (25-20, 25-13, 25-14), during a tri-match on Saturday afternoon at the Freeman Center.
 
In the opener against the Lions, freshmen Mary Kathryn Hall and Katie Piper both pounded 10 kills, while fellow first-year standout Katie Crofford secured a team-high 12 digs. Later, after the squad returned to the court for a showdown with the Generals, the veterans set the tone. Maddie McCann notched 12 kills, Briana Sutton had nine, and Hannah Miller contributed eight and five blocks.
 
Meanwhile, on the back row, Rachel Close chipped in with her 26th double-digit dig effort of the season after collecting 10 for the Captains. Close and fellow senior Evelyn Harper also combined to convert all 26 of their reception attempts during the match.
 
With the two victories, Christopher Newport improves to 21-7 on the season, including 5-2 in league action. Penn State Harrisburg is now 6-17 and 1-7 in the CAC, while Washington & Lee is 20-6 overall.
 
Kicking off the day against the Lions, the Captains showed off their youth during the three-set victory. In the first frame, Hall and Rachel Blitt roped early kills, while Katelyn Newsome bombed a pair off two Lion defenders to help secure a 7-5 lead. Although the visitors retaliated and stole an 8-7 edge, CNU had a response. Piper erupted for two kills during the middle of the stanza, and Josie Lucernoni spun an ace to help retake a 13-10 advantage.
 
Continuing to stretch their lead, Blitt blew a kill off a back-row defender before Newsome painted the sideline, which forced Penn State Harrisburg to burn a timeout staring at a 15-11 deficit. Unfazed by the break, Riley Garrison blistered three straight aces to help extend the lead to 20-11.
 
Easing towards the victory, Kellyn DeChirico sent back an overpass, and Hall added three late darts to earn set-point. Meanwhile, on the defensive end, Crofford shined all over the court as the freshman came through with a huge diving dig along the near sideline to save one rally before closing off the far pin for the game-winning block, which iced the 25-14 triumph.
 
Capitalizing on the momentum, Christopher Newport stormed out to a fast 7-3 lead in the second. Hall continued to do work along the front row as she showed off her arsenal with a tip before blistering a rocket through a wall of defenders. Although the Lions managed to keep the score close, the Captains continued to hit them from every angle. Crofford spun a kill off a block attempt and Hall came back with another winner off a diving defender to help secure an 18-14 edge.
 
Looking for some additional breathing room, Blitt crushed a kill during the middle of a four-point run before returning to close out the contest after a PSH timeout. Following the break, she sent back a Lion attack with a tremendous solo block before dropping the hammer on a feed from Tylar McGill to help win the stanza, 25-18.
 
In the third frame, Hope Webb got the arena jumping with three straight aces before Cat Boyle hammered one of her own on the way to a 9-1 lead. Later, after a Lion timeout, Garrison joined the fun. First, she snapped off an ace before digging a PSH attack that spun over the net and gently dropped to the floor for a 13-4 advantage.
 
Still motoring along, Crofford and Webb came back with two more aces, while the front line toyed with the Penn State Harrisburg defense. Garrison found a soft spot in the far corner for her fifth kill of the contest before Crofford went the other way and dropped one on the near side to grab a 23-12 lead. Two rallies later, following a Lion miscue, Piper added the final punctuation mark after drilling a defender with a scorcher to close out the contest, 25-12.
 
Along with Hall and Piper, Blitt finished with six kills and a .455 hitting percentage against the Lions, while Crofford had five kills on just 12 swings. Garrison also led the team with five aces, and Webb contributed four to go along with 18 assists. McGill handed out 13 helpers during the match as well, and Lucernoni contributed 10 digs and a pristine 17-for-17 effort on serve-receive.
 
Following a short break, Christopher Newport returned to the court for a matinee against local rival Washington & Lee. Following the squad's annual Senior Day festivities before the match, the veterans quickly found their grove. Sutton snapped off a pair of kills to get things rolling before Miller and McCann pieced together a ridiculous rally. Showing off their defensive skills, McCann came through with a pair of diving saves, while Miller added two ups of her own before rising up for a solo block to end the back-and-forth affair.
 
With Miller and McCann showing off their defensive chops, it seemed only fitting that Close threw a point on the board as the senior libero passed a tough serve over the net, but the spinner dropped into open spaces for only her second kill of the season. Later, filling her normal role, McCann came back with two kills and a block to help nail down a 12-7 lead entering a W&L timeout.
 
After the break, McCann continued her hot-streak with three more kills, while Miller contributed a block and blast on the way to a 23-17 lead. Two rallies later, Harper showed off incredible instincts and acrobatic maneuvering as she contorted her body in midair to avoid an errant W&L attack destined for the CNU bench, which gave the hosts set-point. Looking for the clincher, Sutton eventually blistered a dagger off a W&L block attempt to clean up the first, 25-20.
 
Picking up right where they left off, the seniors continued to shine early in the second. Miller came through with two kills and a block, while Close added a sprawling save to keep another rally alive. Meanwhile, leading the underclassmen, Webb launched a pair of aces during a seven-point surge to nail down an imposing 12-2 advantage.
 
With a double-digit edge, the Captains cruised to the victory. During the middle of the stanza, Miller and Piper teamed up on a pair of blocks, while Garrison dropped in an ace. Later, Webb threw down a kill off a pass from Crofford before Garrison hammered the clincher into the heart of the W&L defense to close out the 25-13 triumph.
 
In the third set, Washington & Lee kept the score close early before Christopher Newport inched ahead. Miller, Piper, and Sutton unleashed a rapid-fire assault in the middle of the frame to grab an 11-7 lead following a W&L timeout. Shortly thereafter, McCann popped two kills, and Miller added her first ace since the 2014 NCAA Tournament after smashing a winner off a defender and into the up-ref's stand for a 17-9 advantage.
 
Rolling towards the sweep, the seniors stepped up one final time during their last regular season home match. On the offensive end, McCann and Sutton launched three late kills on the way to set-point. Meanwhile, on the other side, Harper saved the penultimate rally with a reception, while Close and Sutton added ups on the final battle before Miller iced the match with a tip over the W&L block to seal the 25-14 triumph.
 
Along with the seniors, Webb came through with a well-rounded performance after notching 29 assists, four kills, and two aces. Piper also landed five kills on 13 swings, while Crofford notched her second double-digit dig effort of the day with 11 against the Generals.
 
Christopher Newport will return to action on Friday when the team heads to St. Mary's (Md.) for a 7 p.m. match.
 
---CNU---