BUENA VISTA, Va. -- Riley Garrison pieced together an electric effort on both sides of the ball, and Hannah Miller made some more history as the 14th-ranked Christopher Newport volleyball team toppled Southern Virginia, 3-0 (25-18, 25-23, 25-21), to kick off Capital Athletic Conference action on Friday evening at the Knight Sports Arena.

Headlining the team's efforts, Garrison roped a team-high nine kills on just 15 swings while also contributing five blocks. Meanwhile, Miller continued to make history for the Captains as the senior registered her 400th career block during the match. She is now just the third player in program history to record at least 400 blocks and only the fifth active player at any level of the NCAA with at least 1000 career kills and 400 rejections.

Along with the two stars in the middle, the Captains received key contributions from all over the court on Friday. Maddie McCann finished with eight kills, while Hope Webb dished out 16 assists. Tylar McGill also added 12 helpers, and both Evelyn Harper and Katie Crofford pocketed eight digs.

With the victory, Christopher Newport moves to 14-4 on the season, including 1-0 in the CAC. The setback drops Southern Virginia to 3-11 overall and 0-2 in league action.

In the first set, the Captains jumped out to an early lead as Garrison and Rachel Blitt both fired a pair of quick kills, while Harper slammed an ace on the way to a 13-9 advantage. Continuing to pull away, McCann blistered two kills during the middle of the stanza, and Blitt came back with a block and blast to snare a 22-15 lead heading into an SVU timeout.

Although the break gave the Knights a brief respite and helped the squad win back-to-back rallies, CNU retaliated. Miller and McCann added darts to earn set-point before the defense put the game away. Known much more for her work along the net, Miller had a solid up on the back row to keep the final rally alive before Crofford went to her knees and added an outstanding dig of her own that helped lead to a Knight error, which handed CNU a 25-18 triumph.

In the second stanza, Miller got things rolling with a kill before adding her historic block. On the play, the Knights laced a gorgeous serve that was kept alive by Josie Lucernoni, who laid out on the back row with an acrobatic effort. After the Captains sent a free ball over the net, Southern Virginia looked to capitalize with a quick-hitter, but Miller rose up and took care of business all by herself with a tremendous solo rejection that spun off a Knight and sailed out-of-bounds for her 400th career block.

Despite the early heroics, the hosts retaliated. Stringing together seven straight winners in the middle of the frame, the Knights eventually secured a commanding 20-14 lead. Facing tough odds, Christopher Newport called for a timeout, regrouped, and began chipping away at the deficit. McCann came through with a kill, Garrison stoned an SVU attack, and a few Southern Virginia miscues helped the Captains pull back within two at 21-19.

Following a quick resurgence by the Knights, who wiggled out to a 23-19 advantage, Christopher Newport showed resilience and battled back. Excelling on both sides of the ball, Rachel Close came through with a one-handed, game-saving dig off a blocked attack before McCann dropped a kill into the back corner to pull CNU within one at 23-22. Within striking distance, Garrison teamed up with Katie Piper on a block before adding a laser to earn set-point. One rally later, McGill smoked an ace off a Knight to lock up the 25-23 triumph.

In the third, the Captains continued to excel in all facets of the game. Lucernoni made another diving save to keep a play alive before Mary Kathryn Hall punched a shot left-handed. The freshman also added two kills with her right hand before McGill dumped in a winner and teamed with Garrison on a block to nail down a 9-7 edge. Still rolling, CNU showed off power and precision as Piper tapped a kill over the block before McCann unloaded a scorcher that deflected off a defender and into the stands for a 12-7 advantage.

Although the hosts responded with a tremendous rally in the middle of the frame and slipped out to an 18-17 lead, Christopher Newport was undeterred. Garrison came back with two kills, and McCann found a great angle and rolled a soft shot towards the far sideline to snare a 22-19 edge. Following a Southern Virginia timeout, the Captains never lost their momentum and eventually extended their streak to five straight winners, including a roll shot by Garrison to earn set-point at 24-19. Three rallies later, Garrison added the final nail as the freshman capped off her evening with a perfectly-placed tip to ice the 25-21 triumph.

Miller finished her historic night with five kills and two blocks, while Hall and Blitt also added four darts apiece. On the back row, Harper starred on serve-receive and converted all 19 of her reception attempts, while Close was 20-for-21.

Christopher Newport will return to action on Saturday with a 1 p.m. battle at Frostburg State.

---CNU---