NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- In the squad's only home match during a two-week stretch, the 14th-ranked Christopher Newport volleyball team pieced together an impressive performance for the CNU faithful as the Captains rolled past William Peace, 3-0 (25-16, 25-19, 25-16), during a non-conference battle on Tuesday night at the Freeman Center.
 
Against the Pacers, Hannah Miller led an efficient attack with 13 kills on 28 swings. Meanwhile, Riley Garrison was successful on 10 of her 20 attack attempts, and fellow freshman Rachel Blitt clubbed eight kills while hitting .333. Rounding out a well-balanced victory, Hope Webb dished out 36 assists, and Rachel Close collected 15 digs. The senior libero also helped lead a tremendous effort on serve-receive as the Captains converted all 46 of their reception attempts.
 
With the victory, Christopher Newport improves to 13-4 on the season. William Peace falls to 12-5.
 
In the early part of the match, everything was going right for the Captains. Blitt caught fire quickly with four fast kills, while Katelyn Newsome blistered a shot that bounced off a defender and into the stands. Meanwhile, on the defensive end, Webb won a joust along the net before Miller and Maddie McCann closed off the far pin with a block. Close also blanketed the court and pocketed three digs on one rally, which helped lead to a double-digit advantage at 15-5.
 
Later in the set, the Captains did some line work. Miller painted the back line with a dart before McCann dropped a kill on the sideline for a 22-12 lead. Still rolling, Miller drilled a screamer off the top of a WPU block attempt before Newsome smoked a dagger into the heart of the defense to lock up the 25-16 triumph.
 
After the quick victory in the first frame, Christopher Newport struggled to carry the momentum over into the second stanza. Playing hard, William Peace managed to pull out to a 16-12 lead before CNU whistled for a timeout. Following the stoppage, Miller hit the opposition with a pair of tips before McCann added two kills of her own to even things at 17.
 
Following a Peace timeout, the two teams remained knotted at 19 before Christopher Newport had enough and put the set away. Newsome stepped up during the late surge with two kills and a block before Webb crushed an ace to earn set-point at 24-19. Looking for the final nail, the Captains embarked on one of their longest rallies of the season. Swinging hard, the two teams traded a dozen back-and-forth battles, including a pair of digs by Katie Crofford, before McCann put an end to the madness with another kill to ice the 25-19 triumph.
 
In the third set, CNU snuck out to a modest 3-2 edge before Blitt hammered a shot off the head of a blocker to jumpstart an early run. Keeping the highlights flowing, Evelyn Harper came flying across the court to make a diving dig that kept a rally alive before Miller drilled one off the block. Later, Blitt lined another kill, Katie Piper pumped an ace, and a pair of Pacer miscues gave the Captains a 10-2 lead.
 
Although the visitors strung together a few winners in the middle of the frame, Christopher Newport always had an answer and continued to foster the eight-point lead. Eventually, Miller landed back-to-back kills before Blitt and Tylar McGill dropped in winners of their own to earn match-point. Three rallies later, a William Peace miscue handed CNU the 25-16 victory.
 
Overall, the Captains hit .276 during the match, including .447 in the opening frame. Along with the attack, Webb and Harper each landed a pair of aces, while Miller and Garrison assisted on two blocks apiece. Harper also went 14-for-14 on serve-receive, while Close and Crofford combined to convert their 21 attempts as well.
 
Christopher Newport will return to action on Friday when the Captains open up Capital Athletic Conference action with a 5 p.m. battle at Southern Virginia.
 
---CNU---