Live Stats vs. Millikin, UW-Whitewater, St. Norbert // Live Stats vs. Carroll

WHITEWATER, Wisc. -- The 13th-ranked Christopher Newport volleyball team will take part in its final regular-season tournament of the season this weekend when the Captains head to the Wisconsin-Whitewater Invitational beginning on Friday at the Russell Arena and Kachel Fieldhouse.
 
The Captains, who enter the tournament with a 9-3 record, face a pair of top-25 battles to open the invitational. On Friday, CNU faces No. 24 Millikin at 4 p.m. and No. 14 Wisconsin-Whitewater at 7 p.m. On Saturday, Christopher Newport will wrap up the weekend with a 10 a.m. battle against Carroll and a noon showdown with St. Norbert.
 
For those fans unable to make it to the matches, Wisconsin-Whitewater will provide live stats at UWWsports.com. Direct links can be found at the top of this release and on the CNU schedule page.
 
A LOOK AT THE CAPTAINS
 
Christopher Newport features an outstanding front row that has excelled on the defensive side of the ball so far this season. The team is averaging 2.34 blocks-per-set, which ranks as the sixth-highest rate in the NCAA. Leading the way, reigning CAC Player of the Week Hannah Miller has 49 blocks, including eight solo stops. Freshman Riley Garrison also boasts 37 rejections, while Maddie McCann and Katelyn Newsome have at least 25 apiece.
 
Equally effective on the back row, Rachel Close is averaging 4.70 digs-per-set and has pocketed at least 10 in each of the team's first 12 matches. Fellow defensive stalwarts Evelyn Harper, Katie Crofford, and Josie Lucernoni are all averaging over two digs per frame as well.
 
Offensively, McCann sports a team-best 3.26 kills-per-set average, while Miller has 119 blasts and a .320 hitting percentage. Katie Piper is also averaging over two kills per set, and Hope Webb has dished out 340 assists.
 
LAST TIME OUT
 
On Tuesday, the Captains won their fifth straight contest after sweeping Virginia Wesleyan, 3-0. Against the Marlins, Webb collected her second double-double of the season with 34 assists and 13 digs, while McCann pounded a match-high 14 kills. Close also equaled her career-high for digs in a three-set contest after notching 18 to go along with a perfect 10-for-10 effort on serve-receive.
 
SCOUTING THE OPPOSITION
 
Millikin enters Friday with a 10-3 record. The Big Blue's only three losses this year have come against No. 1 Calvin, No. 7 Hope, and No. 20 Wisconsin-Oshkosh, including a pair of five-set decisions. The team has been led by Erin Syversen, who ranks among the top-50 nationally with a 4.00 kills-per-set average, including a 20-kill showcase against Calvin. Meanwhile, Cassidy Kingery leads the back row with a 5.33 digs-per-set average, while Kelsey Talkington has a team-high 38 blocks.
 
Wisconsin-Whitewater comes into the tournament with a 9-3 record and a four-match winning streak. Similar to the Captains, the Warhawks have frustrated the opposition with a dominant front row. The team is averaging 2.33 blocks-per-set, while Courtney Wagner and Ashton Doll are both registering over one per frame. On the offensive end, Wagner, Lauren Pfeifer, and Sydney Racky all have at least 100 kills, while Staci Hasler is averaging 9.81 assists-per-set.
 
Carroll currently has a 4-8 record and is on a four-match skid after splitting its first eight contests of the year. So far this season, Dana Voltolina has a team-high 2.38 kills-per-set average, while Cassidy Mrotek sits second on the squad with 88 kills. Meanwhile, on the defensive end, Amanda Hahn and Rachel Harn are averaging over three digs per frame, while Erika Dunnam has a team-best 29 blocks.
 
St. Norbert is 5-9 overall entering Friday's action. Hannah Johnshoy has been the Green Knights' top offensive threat with 113 kills, while Anika Johnson has 108 and a .249 hitting percentage. Effective along the net, Lexie Van Hiel has 46 total blocks, while Johnson has 43, including 12 solo rejections. On the back row, Aubree Antosch boasta a 4.30 digs-per-set average, while Halie Ferry is second with a 2.38 mark.
 
SERIES HISTORY
 
Carroll, Millikin, and St. Norbert will all be facing the Captains for the first time. Meanwhile, Wisconsin-Whitewater and CNU have met twice with both teams recording a victory. The Warhawks won the previous match-up, 3-0, in 2013. During that bout, Close collected 14 digs and converted 27 of her 30 reception attempts.
 
UP NEXT
 
Following this weekend's action, CNU will return to the court on September 27 for a 7 p.m. meeting with William Peace at the Freeman Center.
 
---CNU---