HOBOKEN, N.J. -- The 24th-ranked Christopher Newport volleyball team kicked off the Ducks Classic with a pair of victories on Friday evening as the Captains swept NYU, 3-0 (25-13, 25-8, 25-12), before upending Arcadia, 3-1 (26-24, 25-19, 23-25, 25-19), during a solid effort at the Canavan Arena and Walker Gymnasium on the campus of Stevens Institute of Technology.
 
During Friday's action, Katie Piper was lights-out for the Captains as the sophomore averaged 4.43 kills per set while hitting at a .417 clip. Meanwhile, Hope Webb dished out a team-high 41 assists and smacked seven aces, while Katie Crofford secured 15 kills and 15 digs during a well-balanced performance.
 
With the two victories, Christopher Newport improves to 8-1 on the season. On the other side, NYU falls to 3-7 overall, and Arcadia slips to 6-2.
 
Setting the tone early, Piper carried the Captains with an exceptional effort in the opener against NYU. Putting the team on her back, she drilled three kills, pumped two aces, and added a block on the way to a 14-7 advantage in the first set. Following a Violet timeout, Abby Oren flashed some power, blasting a kill that deflected off the back wall before sending another spinner into the side stands on the way to a 20-9 lead.
 
With more than enough cushion, Katelyn Newsome slammed a dart before Josie Lucernoni added the finishing touches with an ace off a back-row defender on the way to the 25-13 triumph.
 
In the second stanza, the Captains jumped out to another healthy lead. Stinging NYU from the service line, Webb drilled three aces during a seven-point spree, which lifted CNU to an 11-3 edge. After the Violets managed to snap that streak momentarily, Christopher Newport simply orchestrated a six-point run, highlighted by a cross-court dagger by Megan O'Hara and a rope by Piper that handcuffed a defender and gave the squad a 17-6 advantage.
 
Looking to put the set away quickly, Riley Garrison registered back-to-back blocks in the waning moments of the frame before dropping the hammer on an overpass to help lock up the 25-8 victory.
 
Hoping to keep the momentum in the third stanza, the Captains wiggled out to a 9-6 lead before catching fire in the middle of the set. Kellyn DeChirico punished NYU's front row defense with a dagger through a double team before Oren launched a kill off a back-row specialist. Later, Tylar McGill threaded a perfect feed from pin-to-pin, which Crofford capitalized on to help snatch a 16-9 edge heading into an NYU timeout.
 
Following the break, the Violets cut their deficit down to five at 17-12 before CNU closed out the contest in style. Unloading on the opposition, the Captains won the final eight rallies, including two more kills by Piper and a block and blast by DeChirico. Capping off the back-breaking rally, Ashley Burgess slammed an ace that bounced off several defenders before finding open spaces to ice the 25-12 victory.
 
Piper finished the match with a .545 hitting percentage after smacking 13 kills on just 22 swings. Crofford also landed seven kills on 16 attempts, while Newsome punched four on five swings. As a team, the Captains hit .413 against the Violets, including .571 during a suffocating second stanza. Meanwhile, Piper and Webb each added three aces during the match, and Lucernoni pocketed 13 digs.
 
In the nightcap, the Captains returned to the court to face an energized Arcadia squad that was coming off of an upset victory over No. 19 Eastern earlier in the day. Riding a wave of momentum from their top-25 triumph, the Knights inched out to an early lead on CNU, grabbing a modest 8-7 edge in the first frame. Although Crofford snapped off an ace and O'Hara clubbed a kill to flip the script, AU pieced together a mid-set surge to steal a 20-16 lead.
 
Unfazed by the late deficit, Newsome, O'Hara, and Piper dropped in three straight kills to pull back within one. Moments later, after Arcadia stretched its lead back to two at 22-20, Piper took over. The second-year star popped three straight kills to grab a 23-22 advantage heading into an Arcadia timeout.
 
Following the stoppage, AU managed to battle back and knot the score at 24, but a pair of Knight errors handed the Captains a hard-fought 26-24 victory.
 
Continuing the back-and-forth battle early in the second, Arcadia managed to grab a 3-2 lead before Christopher Newport pieced together an epic run. Blasting the Knights with an unrelenting assault, the Captains ripped off 10 straight winners. Webb kept the opposition off-balance from the service line, while Crofford chipped in with two kills and a solo block on the way to the 12-3 edge.
 
Although Arcadia halted the run for a brief moment, CNU never lost its swagger. Continuing to pepper the Knights, Lucernoni landed three aces during another six-point surge to gain a lopsided 20-6 advantage. Refusing to go down quietly, AU showed heart and cut the deficit down to five after the Captains earned set-point.
 
Fortunately, Christopher Newport had enough cushion to withstand the late push as O'Hara landed the final dagger to pick up the 25-19 win.
 
Staring at a two-set deficit, Arcadia landed some blows early in the third frame. Although Garrison came through with an early kill and rejection, the Knights snuck out to a 14-9 lead. Firing back, Newsome added a block and blast of her own, while Piper smashed another kill to help chip the deficit down to one entering an AU timeout.
 
After the break, the Captains continued slugging away as Piper posted two more kills, but Arcadia was up to the challenge. Although CNU evened the score at 22 heading into another Knight timeout, AU stole three of the final four rallies to pick up the 25-23 victory.
 
Following their first setback of the day, the Captains settled in. Early in the fourth, the two teams engaged in a back-and-forth slugfest before Christopher Newport gained control. Once again, Webb took over at the line and blistered the opposition. The sophomore landed two aces and also dished out three assists during an eight-point surge that engulfed a pair of Arcadia timeouts and gave CNU a comfortable 16-7 lead.
 
As they did all day, the Knights continued to fight until the bitter end, but the Captains had a stranglehold on the match. Polishing off her performance, Piper decked two more kills late in the set before Newsome added the squad's final winner to help lock up the 25-19 victory.
 
Overall, Piper finished with 18 kills and a .342 hitting percentage against Arcadia, while Newsome added 11 blasts and six blocks. Equally impressive, Webb handed out 26 assists while notching eight digs and four aces. Lucernoni also picked up 16 digs, while Crofford was a perfect 13-for-13 on serve-receive.
 
Christopher Newport will return to action on Saturday when the squad wraps up the Ducks Classic with a twin bill against Stevens and No. 19 Eastern. The Captains will take on the host Ducks at 11 a.m. before squaring off with the nationally-ranked Eagles at 1 p.m.
 
---CNU---