SMC: Live Stats // Video Stream
MU: Live Stats // Video Stream

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- Entering the final week of the regular season, the 20th-ranked Christopher Newport volleyball team will hit the road this weekend as the Captains travel to St. Mary's (Md.) on Friday at 7 p.m. before heading to Marymount for a tri-match on Saturday beginning at 1 p.m.
 
Riding a five-game winning streak, the Captains come into Friday with a 21-7 record, including a 5-2 ledger in the Capital Athletic Conference. Meanwhile, St. Mary's (Md.) is 21-9 overall and 5-2 in the CAC, while Marymount is 21-6 and 7-1 in the league. Messiah, who the Captains will face at 3 p.m. on Saturday, is currently 23-6.
 
For those fans unable to make it to the contests, St. Mary's and Marymount will provide live stats and a video stream of the CAC matches over the weekend. Direct links to all features can be found at the top of this release and on the CNU schedule page.
 
A LOOK AT THE CAPTAINS
 
Entering the final week of conference action, Christopher Newport continues to rank among the league leaders in several categories. The team's .223 hitting percentage is the second-highest in the CAC. On the defensive end, CNU sits second in blocks-per-set as well with a 1.97 mark.
 
On an individual level, Riley Garrison is second in the conference with a .315 hitting percentage, and Hannah Miller sits third with a .313 mark. Miller is also second in the league in blocks-per-set with a 1.07 average, and Maddie McCann is fifth with 274 kills. Along with the standouts up front, Rachel Close is fourth overall with 416 digs, while Hope Webb is second with a 9.39 assists-per-set average.
 
LAST TIME OUT
 
On Saturday, CNU capped off its regular season home slate with a tri-match at the Freeman Center. In the opener against Penn State Harrisburg, Mary Kathryn Hall and Katie Piper punched 10 kills apiece, while Garrison crushed five aces. Webb also spun four winners and dished out 18 assists.
 
After their three-set victory over the Lions, the Captains continued their roll with a similar 3-0 triumph over Washington & Lee. Celebrating Senior Day, McCann drilled 11 kills, Briana Sutton hit nine, and Miller contributed eight and five blocks. On the defensive end, Close collected 10 digs, and Evelyn Harper was a pristine 11-for-11 on serve-receive.
 
SCOUTING THE OPPOSITION
 
St. Mary's (Md.) is riding a three-match winning streak coming into Friday evening. The Seahawks have been led by Alli Graf, who leads the CAC with 451 kills and 482 digs. Her sister, Mimi Graf, is also fourth in the league with an 8.86 assists-per-set average, while Meghan Kelley is third in the CAC with 366 kills. As a team, SMC leads the conference in kills, assists, digs, and points.
 
Marymount rolls into the weekend on a four-match winning streak, including a 3-1 victory over No. 12 Mary Washington on Wednesday.. During that match, Emileigh Rettig registered 18 kills, and the Saints combined for 11 blocks to stifle the Eagle attack. Overall this season, Cailyn Thomas ranks fourth in the CAC with a .304 hitting percentage, while Ashton Walker is fifth with a 0.86 blocks-per-set average.Theresa Buscemi is also third with 43 aces.
 
Messiah has won its last two outings and will travel to Lebanon Valley to round out conference action on Thursday before trekking to Arlington. The Falcons have already faced two CAC opponents this year with a 3-0 win over Marymount and a 3-0 loss to Salisbury. Overall this season, Jane Underman leads the team with a 3.56 kills-per-set average, while Mary Underman has a .409 hitting percentage and 189 kills. Defensively, Emily Zellers is averaging 4.02 digs per set.
 
SERIES HISTORY
 
St. Mary's (Md.) and CNU have met 16 times with the Captains holding a 9-7 edge in the series. The last three battles have gone to five sets, including a pair in the CAC Tournament. Last year, CNU survived both contests, including an epic 3-2 triumph in the conference semifinals at the Freeman Center.
 
Marymount and CNU have squared off 23 times with the Saints holding a 13-10 lead in the series. Last year, the Captains registered a 3-2 victory in Arlington to close out the regular season. Former Captain Abby McIntyre led the way with 25 kills and 15 digs during that bout.
 
Messiah and CNU have only faced each other twice with the Falcons winning both contests. However, no current member of either team was born the last time the two programs met on October 10, 1987 during the Dickinson Tournament. Sandy Miller led Christopher Newport with six kills and six digs during that match.
 
UP NEXT
 
The CAC Tournament will begin with first-round action on Tuesday. Seeding for the playoffs will be determined after the culmination of the regular season schedule on Saturday.
 
---CNU---