YORK, Pa. -- The 23rd-ranked Christopher Newport volleyball team will wrap up the regular season this week when the Captains head up to Pennsylvania for a three-match road trip beginning with a 7 p.m. battle against York (Pa.) on Friday at the Wolf Gymnasium.
Along with their Capital Athletic Conference showdown with the Spartans, the Captains will also face a league tilt against Penn State Harrisburg on Saturday at 10 a.m. Later in the day, the team will cap off the regular season at Messiah with a 4 p.m. non-conference battle.
Entering Friday, Christopher Newport currently stands at 22-3 overall, including 7-0 in league action. The Captains can claim the outright regular season CAC title with a victory against either York (Pa.) or Penn State Harrisburg.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the court, York is tied for second in the conference standings while boasting a 19-7 overall record and a 5-2 mark in league matches. Penn State Harrisburg sits at 10-15 with a 1-6 ledger in the CAC, while Messiah is 14-14 overall.
Katelyn Newsome currently ranks third in the Capital with a 1.03 blocks-per-set average and fourth with a .279 hitting percentage.
Josie Lucernoni has also been effective on the back row as the junior libero sports a 4.55 digs-per-set mark, which places her fourth in the conference.
Along with the league leaders,
Katie Piper has a team-high 3.00 kills-per-set average, while
Katie Crofford leads the way with 31 aces.
Hope Webb and
Tiaralyn McBride have pumped 28 winners apiece as well. Additionally,
Riley Garrison has been a force along the front row with 84 total blocks, including 11 solo stops.
York enters Friday on a three-match roll, including a 3-2 triumph at Salisbury last week. The Spartans have been led by Brooke Krebs, who has a team-high 221 kills. Eryn Brady also has 206 blasts this season, while Madyson Whitcomb carries a .312 hitting percentage. On the other side, Alexis Harbold leads the CAC with 526 digs.
Penn State Harrisburg snapped a three-match skid on Tuesday with a 3-1 victory at Lancaster Bible. Brittany Wolf has been the Lions top offensive threat with a 2.20 kills-per-set average and a .234 hitting percentage. Casey Stump also ranks third in the league with a 7.29 assists-per-set average. Defensively, Alexandra Korn has stabilized the front row with a team-high 64 blocks.
Messiah has won six of its last eight outings, including a 3-0 sweep at Albright on Tuesday. Entering the weekend, Mary Underman and Braedyn Gallagher have over 260 kills apiece. Underman has been especially effective, compiling a 3.19 kills-per-set average to go along with a .398 hitting percentage. Meanwhile, Jennifer Rusling has handed out 8.91 assists per set, and Amanda Dahlman has collected 408 digs.
Christopher Newport enters the battles with a perfect 5-0 record all-time against York (Pa.) and a 4-0 ledger against Penn State Harrisburg. On the other side, Messiah is 3-0 all-time against the Captains.
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