Tournament Site // Live Stats // Video Stream

FREDERICKSBURG, Va. -- The 24th-ranked Christopher Newport volleyball team will kick off its 10th consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance on Friday at 12:30 p.m. when the Captains battle Johns Hopkins in a first-round match-up at Mary Washington's Rosner Arena.

CNU enters the postseason with a 25-9 record, while Hopkins comes into play at 19-8. The Captains earned an at-large bid to the tournament after finishing second in the Capital Athletic Conference playoffs, while the Blue Jays earned an automatic berth after winning the Centennial crown.

Single-day tickets for the tournament are $8 for adults, $5 for senior citizens, and $4 for students and children under the age of 12. All-session passions for the entire regional are $15 for adults, $9 for seniors, and $7 for kids.

For those fans unable to make it to the game, live stats and a video stream of the action will be available at UMWEagles.com. Direct links to both features can be found at the top of this release and on the CNU schedule page.

Entering the NCAA Tournament, Christopher Newport features a stout front row, which ranks 22nd in the nation in total blocks with 238.5. Two-time All-American Hannah Miller has anchored the defensive effort and sits 32nd in the NCAA with a 1.09 blocks-per-set average. That rate also currently stands as the seventh-highest in CNU history. Meanwhile, Riley Garrison is one block shy of becoming the fourth freshman Captain to record 100 in a season.

In addition to the standouts in the middle of the front row, Maddie McCann secured first-team All-Conference honors after finishing the regular season with a team-high 335 kills, while Katie Piper is averaging 2.24 blasts-per-set. Additionally, Rachel Close has secured 494 digs, which stands as the 10th-highest total in CNU history, while Hope Webb ranks among the top-five in the CAC in aces (45) and assists (922).

Equally skilled, Johns Hopkins enters the postseason having won seven of its last eight matches, including a 3-2 victory over Swarthmore in the Centennial Championship. Celebrated for their work during the year, Elizabeth Wuerstle was named the conference's Player of the Year, while Sarah Elnozahy was honored as the top rookie. Wuerstle finished the regular season as the Centennial leader with a .292 hitting percentage and 48 aces, while Elnozahy is averaging 9.12 assists-per-set.

Friday's bout will be a rematch between the Captains and Blue Jays, who squared off less than a month ago at the Freeman Center. On October 15, CNU picked up a 3-1 victory after bouncing back from a first-set loss. Briana Sutton led Christopher Newport with 14 kills, while McCann contributed a dozen. For Hopkins, Wuerstle had 14 kills and Sasha Gorelik added 13.

Along with the Captains and Blue Jays, six other teams will take part in the Fredericksburg Regional. No. 10 Juniata will battle Meredith at 3 p.m. on Friday, Randolph-Macon will square off against Stevenson at 5:30 p.m., and No. 14 Mary Washington will host Cabrini at 8 p.m. 

The winner of the CNU - Hopkins bout will face the Juniata - Meredith survivor on Saturday at 2:30 p.m. The regional championship will be held on Sunday at 2 p.m.

---CNU---