HUNTINGDON, Pa. -- Coming off of a strong showing at last weekend's Captains Classic, the ninth-ranked Christopher Newport volleyball team will face three top-25 opponents at the Juniata / ASICS Invitational, which begins on Friday at Memorial Gymnasium.
 
The Captains will kick off the two-day tournament on Friday at 7 p.m. when the squad battles No. 2 Juniata. On Saturday, CNU will face two more tough tests with a 2 p.m. showdown against No. 8 Wittenberg and a 4 p.m. clash with No. 25 Carnegie Mellon.
 
For those fans unable to make it to Pennsylvania, Juniata will provide live stats and a video stream of select matches at JuniataSports.net.
 
LAST TIME OUT
 
Last weekend, CNU kicked off the 2016 campaign with four victories during the Captains Classic. Two of those triumphs came against UMass Boston and Stevenson, who were both coming off of NCAA Tournament appearances last year.
 
Rachel Close led the way during the tournament as the senior libero averaged 5.31 digs per set and converted 39 of her 40 reception attempts. For her efforts, she was honored as the Tournament MVP. Meanwhile, Maddie McCann and Hope Webb also secured All-Tournament accolades for their efforts on the offensive end. McCann led all players with a 3.69 kills-per-set average, while Webb dished out 144 assists.
 
Along with Webb, several other freshmen also made impressive debuts last weekend. Katie Piper roped 42 kills during the tournament, which marked the most kills by a CNU freshman in her first four matches since Tricia Nelsen had 68 in 2004. Meanwhile, Riley Garrison teamed up with senior Hannah Miller to form a formidable blocking duo. Garrison notched 11 rejections during the tournament, while Miller had a team-high 23, including four solo stops.
 
SCOUTING THE OPPOSITION
 
Juniata is coming off of a similar 4-0 weekend after winning the Clarkson Invitational championship. The Eagles, who returned four All-Americans from last year's team, benefited from a well-balanced effort during the tournament. First-team All-American setter Kelly Reynolds averaged 11.31 assists-per-set, while Suzanne Gloekler and Megan Moroney combined for 78 kills. Sophomore Katie Byrne anchored the back row and pocketed 5.50 digs per set.
 
Wittenberg enters the weekend ranked eighth in the nation after finishing as the national runner-up in 2015. The Tigers went 2-1 during the Mount Union Invitational to kick off the year, topping Bethany and Mount Union while dropping a 3-0 decision to No. 7 Hope. During the three contests, Camila Quinones and Maddie Fischer both averaged over three kills per set, while Moriah Eck laced eight aces. Defensively, Madison Manger collected a team-high 32 digs, and Emily Kahling had nine blocks.
 
Carnegie Mellon climbed into the national rankings after opening the year with five straight victories, highlighted by a 4-0 mark during the Gettysburg Battlefield Classic which included a 3-1 win over fellow CAC member Salisbury. Sporting a well-balanced attack, five Tartans are averaging over 1.7 kills per set this season with Eliza Donohue boasting a team-high 32. She also leads the way with 10 blocks, while Lauren Mueller and Jackie Gibbons have eight apiece. Molly Higgins leads the back row with 77 digs.
 
SERIES HISTORY
 
Juniata and CNU have met 11 times with the Eagles holding an 8-3 edge in the all-time series. Last year, the two programs met in Newport News with Juniata posting a 3-2 victory bolstered by 15 kills from Mar-Jana Phillips. Briana Sutton led the Captains with 21 kills.
 
Wittenberg and CNU have battled three times with the Tigers holding a perfect 3-0 record in the series. The two teams battled for the 2011 National Championship with Wittenberg pulling out a 3-1 triumph. Most recently, the two programs faced each other during the 2012 Juniata / ASICS Invitational with the Tigers securing an identical 3-1 victory.
 
Carnegie Mellon and CNU have never met in volleyball. Saturday's battle will be the first in program history.
 
NEXT UP
 
Following this weekend's action, Christopher Newport will return to the court on September 16 for the start of the two-day CNU Invitational featuring Averett and Scranton.
 
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