Live Stats // Video Stream

FREDERICKSBURG, Va. -- The 24th-ranked Christopher Newport volleyball team will compete for its fourth straight Capital Athletic Conference championship on Saturday at 2 p.m. when the Captains head to No. 15 Mary Washington for the title bout at the Ron Rosner Arena.
 
Entering the championship match, Christopher Newport holds a 25-8 record, while Mary Washington comes in at 27-3. The top-seeded Eagles advanced to Saturday after sweeping Marymount, 3-0, on Thursday. The third-seeded Captains punched their ticket with a grueling 3-2 triumph at second-seeded Salisbury.
 
For those fans unable to make it to the match, Mary Washington will provide live stats and a video stream of the action at UMWEagles.com. Direct links to both features can be found at the top of this release and on the CNU schedule page.
 
A LOOK AT THE CAPTAINS
 
In their final year, CNU's seniors have carried the team this season. Making an indelible mark in their last go-around, Rachel Close ranks second in the CAC with 485 digs, Maddie McCann is fourth with 331 kills, and Hannah Miller is among the top-five in blocks-per-set (1.12) and hitting percentage (.310). Meanwhile, Evelyn Harper has a team-best .980 reception percentage, and Briana Sutton has been averaging 2.73 kills-per-set while hitting .259 since returning to the court last month.
 
Although the seniors have guided the way, the freshmen have also stepped right in and added depth to the program. Riley Garrison is second in the conference with a .320 hitting percentage and fifth with a 0.87 blocks-per-set average. Additionally, Hope Webb is second in the CAC with a 9.03 assists-per-set mark and fourth with 45 aces, while Katie Piper leads CNU's first-year performers with a 2.24 kills-per-set average.
 
LAST TIME OUT
 
On Thursday, the Captains beat a familiar foe in the postseason as CNU toppled Salisbury, 3-2, in Maryland. It marked the fourth straight season that the two squads have battled in the playoffs - and the fourth consecutive time that Christopher Newport has survived the test. It also avenged a 3-2 setback against the Sea Gulls during the regular season.
 
In the semifinal bout, McCann came through with her second career double-double after registering 10 digs and 16 kills, including the clincher in the fifth set. Sutton also pounded 16 kills while hitting .324, and Miller contributed 13 blasts and seven blocks. On the back row, Close secured a match-high 21 digs, and Harper picked up 19.
 
SCOUTING THE EAGLES
 
Mary Washington won its first regular season conference championship in nearly two decades after the Eagles claimed the CAC crown for the first time since 1997. Its only league blemish came in a 3-1 setback against Marymount, which the squad avenged in the semifinals on Thursday. UMW's only other losses this year came against No. 4 Southwestern and No. 9 Emory.
 
Mary Washington has been led by a standout freshman class. Skyler Sisk currently leads the Capital with a .325 hitting percentage, while Savannah Powers has a team-best 2.96 kills-per-set average. Additionally, fellow first-year standout Peyton Dunow sits fourth on the team with 187 kills. Meanwhile, for the upperclassmen, senior Emma Olson has a CAC-high 9.97 assists-per-set average, and junior Jenna Yost has a 3.59 digs-per-set mark.
 
SERIES HISTORY
 
CNU and Mary Washington have met 31 times with the Eagles holding a 22-9 edge in the series. UMW picked up a win earlier this season after dropping the Captains, 3-2, at the Freeman Center on October 14. McCann came through with a team-high 18 kills, and Garrison posted 13 while hitting .500, but the Eagles survived behind a 16-kill, 11-dig effort by Powers.
 
---CNU---