Live Stats

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. -- After ripping off four straight victories during the CNU Invitational over the weekend, the 15th-ranked Christopher Newport volleyball team will look to continue its winning ways on Tuesday when the Captains travel to Virginia Wesleyan for a 7 p.m. battle at the Batten Center.
 
Entering the match-up, CNU boasts an 8-3 record. Meanwhile, Virginia Wesleyan sits at 5-7 after dropping a pair of matches on Saturday to kick off ODAC action.
 
For those fans unable to make it to the match, Virginia Wesleyan will provide live stats at VWCAthletics.com. A direct link can be found at the top of this release and on the CNU schedule page.
 
A LOOK AT THE CAPTAINS
 
Christopher Newport is coming off of an impressive performance during the CNU Invitational over the weekend. The Captains swept a pair of matches from Averett and Scranton behind a well-balanced team effort. Hannah Miller led the way and was named the tournament MVP after boasting a team-high 51 kills and .554 hitting percentage during the four matches. On Friday, she also became the 10th player in program history to eclipse the 1000-kill plateau.
 
Meanwhile, Maddie McCann and Riley Garrison also starred during the tournament. McCann unloaded 42 kills and collected 22 digs, while Garrison registered a tournament-high 19 blocks. Both standouts also earned a spot on the All-Tournament team. Additionally, Rachel Close kept the court clean with 60 digs and a team-best .973 reception percentage. Hope Webb dished out 108 assists, and Josie Lucernoni tied for the team-lead with six aces during the tournament as well.
 
Overall this season, McCann leads the team with a 3.14 kills-per-set average, while Miller has compiled a scintillating .344 hitting percentage. On the defensive end, Miller already has 46 blocks, Garrison has 36 rejections, and Close leads the back row with a 4.59 digs-per-set average.
 
SCOUTING THE MARLINS
 
Virginia Wesleyan enters Tuesday after dropping a pair of decisions to Emory & Henry and Guilford to open up league action. Despite the setbacks, the Marlins have benefitted from several top-level efforts so far this season. Tiffany Barrett leads the squad with 132 kills, while Amber Matalus has pumped 107. Matalus also leads the squad with 21 aces, and Emilee Pierson is averaging 7.12 assists-per-set.
 
Defensively, the Marlins have been led by a well-balanced back row. Barrett and Maddie Starr are both averaging over 3.00 digs-per-frame, while Pierson and Allison Mackley are just under that mark. Along the net, Dare Wright has 34 blocks, while Matalus has sent back 30 attack attempts.
 
SERIES HISTORY
 
The Captains and Marlins have met 14 times with CNU holding a perfect 14-0 record in the series. Last year, Christopher Newport opened the 2015 campaign with a 3-0 victory at the Freeman Center.
 
NEXT UP
 
Following Tuesday's contest, CNU will hit the road for a trip to the Wisconsin-Whitewater Invitational beginning on Friday. The Captains will open up with a twin bill against No. 24 Millikin at 5 p.m. and No. 16 Wisconsin-Whitewater at 7 p.m.
 
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