NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- The 23rd-ranked Christopher Newport volleyball team will kick off the postseason on Thursday at 7 p.m. when the Captains host Salisbury in the Capital Athletic Conference semifinals at the Freeman Center.
                                                           
Entering the postseason, CNU sits at 25-3 overall. The squad secured the top seed in the playoffs after posting a pristine 9-0 record in league action. Meanwhile, Salisbury earned the No. 4 seed in the postseason while compiling a 19-9 mark, including a 3-2 victory over York (Pa.) in the first round of the tournament on Tuesday.
 
The Captains wrapped up the regular season ranked sixth in the NCAA with a 2.19 blocks-per-set average. Leading the way on the front row, sophomore Riley Garrison leads the CAC with 103 total rejections. She is already one of just two players in program history to record at least 100 blocks in each of her first two seasons, joining former teammate and three-time All-American Hannah Miller.
 
Along with Garrison, Katelyn Newsome ranks second in the league with 95 blocks, while Megan O'Hara has 63. As a team, CNU has limited its opposition to a middling .103 hitting percentage, which stands as the 18th-finest mark in the country.
 
In addition to the fearsome front row, Josie Lucernoni is fifth in the CAC with a 4.65 digs-per-set average, while Tylar McGill has handed out a team-high 476 assists to go along with 24 aces. Additionally, Tiaralyn McBride has blasted 32 aces this year, while Katie Piper leads the squad with a 3.03 kills-per-set average.
 
On the other side of the net, Salisbury has been led by Nicole Venturelli, who leads the conference and ranks 18th in the NCAA with a 4.11 kills-per-set average. Freshman Lacey Swartout has pounded 2.23 kills per frame as well. Meanwhile, Alexis Howatt and Rachel Dubbs have shared duties at the setter position while both averaging over 4.5 assists per set, and Hailey Dougherty has stabilized the back row with 537 digs.
 
CNU and Salisbury previously met on October 6 with the Captains picking up a 3-1 victory in Maryland. SU captured the first set before Christopher Newport stormed back to win the next three. On an individual level, Piper notched 11 kills and 14 digs for CNU, while Venturelli added 10 blasts for the Sea Gulls.
 
Overall, the two programs have met 34 times with CNU holding a 20-14 edge in the all-time series. The Captains are also 4-0 against the Sea Gulls in the CAC Tournament, including a five-set victory in the semifinals last year.
 
The winner of Thursday's contest will advance to the CAC Championship for a date with the survivor of the Mary Washington - Southern Virginia semifinal bout. The title clash will take place on Saturday.
 
---CNU---