FREDERICKSBURG, Va. -- Katie Piper put on a show and kicked off her sophomore campaign in style as the second-year standout helped carry the Christopher Newport volleyball team to a pair of sweeps over Neumann (25-17, 25-15, 25-14) and Meredith (25-15, 25-14, 25-23) during the first day of the Captains Classic on Friday at the Freeman Center.
 
During the two matches, Piper peppered the opposition with a team-high 33 kills while hitting at a .397 clip. She dropped 17 blasts on Neumann in the opener while also collecting 10 digs for her first career double-double. In the nightcap, she returned to the court for 16 more kills to go along with seven digs to round out an exceptional evening for the sophomore star.
 
Along with Piper, Megan O'Hara made a quick transition to the college game as the freshman unleashed 15 kills while hitting .407 during the two matches. Meanwhile, Tylar McGill dished out 36 assists, Abby Oren collected seven blocks, and Josie Lucernoni pocketed 18 digs to balance out the team leaders on Friday.
 
In the opener against Neumann, the Captains showed no signs of rust from their 10-month layoff since the 2016 campaign came to a close. CNU ran out to a fast 17-12 lead in the first frame behind four kills from Piper. Oren also added two kills and a block, while Sam Plesce chipped in with a bullet and rejection on the way to the five-point edge.
 
Although the Knights whittled their deficit back down to two, Piper retaliated with three kills and an ace before Plesce put the finishing touches on the first set with a dart off a feed from McGill to close out the 25-17 win.
 
In the second stanza, the Captains rolled out to another 15-7 lead, highlighted by back-to-back aces by Piper. Later, following a Neumann timeout, Piper came storming back with three late kills, while Katelyn Newsome added a pair. Marching towards another lopsided victory, Plesce added the kill shot once again off a pass from Ashley Burgess to lock up the 25-15 triumph.
 
Looking to avoid the sweep, the Knights battled to an early 10-10 draw. Unfazed by the nip-and-tuck affair, Katie Crofford unleashed her third ace of the frame to cap off a five-point run, which gave the hosts a 15-10 lead. Later, Hope Webb added a pair of winners of her own, while Newsome and O'Hara teamed up on a block during a seven-point streak that gave CNU match-point at 24-13.
 
Although Neumann held off the inevitable for a few rallies, Newsome came through with the final dagger to ice the 25-14 triumph.
 
Along with Piper's 17 kills in the opener, Newsome added nine darts and a pair of blocks, while O'Hara chipped in with seven kills. On the defensive end, Lucernoni notched 10 digs, while Crofford was a pristine 15-for-15 on serve-receive.
 
Following a brief break, Christopher Newport returned to the court for a late-night showdown with Meredith. Still riding high from their first victory of the season, the Captains jumped on the Avenging Angels early. Oren pumped three quick kills, while O'Hara, Piper, and Riley Garrison all added two apiece on the way to a commanding double-digit edge at 18-7.
 
Already in control of the match, Piper came back with two more kills, including one after a tremendous diving save by McGill. Later, after three errors by Meredith gave the hosts set-point, Newsome elevated along the net and deposited a feed from Webb for the clinching kill during a 25-15 win.
 
Following the same script in the second stanza, Christopher Newport vaulted out to another huge lead and never looked back. Piper pumped three more kills, while Garrison came through with a block and blistering shot that ricocheted off a back-row defender on the way to a 15-7 edge.
 
Still motoring along, Crofford whipped an ace off another defensive specialist before Piper landed three kills during a five-rally spurt to snatch a 23-10 edge. With little left to prove, Zoe Smith dropped in the penultimate kill before Kellyn DeChirico added the clincher during the 25-14 triumph.
 
After five lopsided sets, the Captains finally found themselves in a tight battle in the third stanza against Meredith. The Avenging Angels capitalized on a seven-point rally in the middle of the frame to steal a late 17-15 lead.  Regrouping, Christopher Newport battled back. Crofford and O'Hara led the resurgence with two kills apiece during a devastating stretch, which flipped the script and gave CNU a 22-19 lead heading into a Meredith timeout.
 
The stoppage did little to thwart the late surge as Piper snapped off another kill before an error gave the Captains match-point at 24-21. Although the visitors made things interesting, Piper added a fitting punctuation mark with her 16th kill of the match to wrap up the 25-23 victory.
 
Along with Piper, O'Hara had eight kills on just 14 swings, while Oren connected for six blasts. Helping balance out the attack, McGill dished out 19 assists, and Webb contributed 13 helpers. McGill also tied Lucernoni for the team-lead with eight digs, while Piper and Crofford both converted all 18 of their reception attempts.
 
Christopher Newport will be back in action tomorrow with the final day of the Captains Classic. Action gets underway at 11 a.m. with another bout against Neumann.
 
---CNU---