NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- Excelling in all facets of the game, the 13th-ranked Christopher Newport volleyball team pieced together a well-balanced effort on Wednesday evening as the Captains took down Wesley, 3-0 (25-8, 25-16, 25-21), during a Capital Athletic Conference battle at the Freeman Center.
 
During the match-up, CNU posted a .383 hitting percentage while limiting the Wolverines to a -.013 mark. On an individual level, Briana Sutton paced the offense with 10 kills and a .556 hitting percentage, while Katie Piper pounded nine kills on just 15 swings. Meanwhile, Rachel Close pocketed 12 digs, Hannah Miller contributed three blocks, and Hope Webb stung three aces to go along with 22 assists.
 
With the victory, Christopher Newport improves to 16-4 on the season, including 3-0 in the CAC. Wesley falls to 9-10 overall and 0-3 in league action.
 
From the outset, the Captains established the tone. After wiggling out to a modest 8-6 lead in the first frame, CNU caught fire. Following a kill by Maddie McCann, Webb took over at the service line and put together a tremendous effort. The freshman blistered back-to-back aces after punching one off a back-row defender before dropping in a perfectly-placed winner that dripped over the net. Later, she added her third ace of the contest, while Piper chipped in with a block and blast during an eight-point streak that gave Christopher Newport a 16-6 edge.
 
Although their run was momentarily halted, the Captains quickly went back to work. Cat Boyle hammered an ace off the chest of a defender, while Sutton did some net work. First, the senior blasted a shot that caught the tape and flipped over for a kill before adding another dagger that rode along the top of the net and eventually spun over for her fourth kill on the way to a 23-8 lead.
 
Looking to end things quickly, Riley Garrison earned set-point with an ace before Piper lined a kill off the out-stretched hands of a defender to lock up the 25-8 triumph.
 
Picking up right where she left off, Piper opened the second stanza with two early kills, while Mary Kathryn Hall showed off her arsenal with a roll shot and bullet off the block to snare a 10-7 edge. Later, Kellyn DeChirico painted the sideline with a dart before Sutton played a little target practice during a five-point surge. The senior laced a kill that caught a defender and bounced into the net before hammering another scorcher that ricocheted off a different Wolverine and into press row.
 
Moments later, Miller built a wall along the net with back-to-back blocks to grab an 18-11 advantage following a Wesley timeout. Easing towards the victory, Sutton and Miller hit Wesley with back-to-back tips before Hall came through with two more kills of her own. Closing things out, DeChirico knocked down an overpass and Piper ripped another screamer off a defender to seal the 25-16 triumph.
 
Keeping things going in the third, Garrison unleashed an absolute stunner that ricocheted deep into the bowels of the stadium before Tylar McGill laid out to save a tough deflection with an acrobatic dig that turned into a kill by Hall. Continuing to flash their power, Garrison and Katelyn Newsome tattooed blockers with a pair of kills in the middle of the frame, while Sutton did the same to a back-row defender on the way to an 18-10 edge.
 
Although the Wolverines put together their best stretch of the match and pulled within three at 21-18, the Captains still had enough cushion to close out the contest. DeChirico dropped the hammer on a quick hitter off a feed from McGill before Garrison added the final two nails to lock up the 25-21 victory.
 
Along with Sutton and Piper, Hall tallied seven kills, while Miller and Garrison added five apiece. Defensively, Boyle was a perfect 8-for-8 on serve-receive, while Evelyn Harper converted each of her five reception attempts. Katie Crofford also pocketed six digs to go along with a pair of aces, while Josie Lucernoni added an ace and three digs.
 
Christopher Newport will return to action on Friday when the Captains host Salisbury at 7 p.m.
 
---CNU---