Live Stats // Live Video

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- The 24th-ranked Christopher Newport volleyball team will open up a stretch of five straight home matches on Tuesday at 7 p.m. when the Captains welcome Bridgewater to town for a non-conference battle at the Freeman Center.

Entering the week, CNU currently sits at 10-3, including 5-1 at home. Meanwhile, Bridgewater is 14-3 overall and 4-0 on the road.

For those fans unable to attend the match, live stats will be available at CNUsports.com. The Captains will also provide a broadcast of the action with Austin Urch and Brooke Stanley on the call. Direct links to both features can be found at the top of this release and on the CNU schedule page.

Christopher Newport comes into the battle on a five-match winning streak, including an impressive run over the weekend at Frostburg State. During the three contests at FSU, the Captains dropped just one set and swept both Lebanon Valley and Neumann. The squad also improved to 2-0 in league action with a 3-1 triumph over the Bobcats.

During the three matches, Josie Lucernoni anchored the back row and averaged 6.40 digs per set. Her finest performance came against Frostburg State when she pocketed a career-high 31 digs. That marked the fourth-most by a player in a four-set match in program history and was the 18th time a Captain collected at least 30 digs in a contest.

Along with Lucernoni's work on the back row, Riley Garrison registered a .400 hitting percentage while clubbing 26 kills. The junior also contributed 16 blocks, including three solo stops. Additionally, Meghan O'Hara and Abby Oren unleashed 29 kills apiece during the three matches, and Lauren Tracy averaged 10.5 assists per set.

So far this season, Katie Piper ranks second in the CAC with a 2.92 kills-per-set average, while Tracy is second with a 9.49 assists-per-set mark. Anchoring the middle of the front row, Garrison is also fourth in the Capital with a .298 hitting percentage, and Mackenzie Wright is second with a 0.86 blocks-per-set average. Garrison is also third in that category with a 0.85 rate.

On the other side of the net, Bridgewater has won 10 of its last 11 matches, including a 3-0 win at Ferrum on Saturday. Rachel Gaston has starred for the Eagles as the junior is currently averaging 4.04 kills and 4.06 digs per set. The reigning second-team All-ODAC selection ranks among the top-10 in the league in both categories. Meanwhile, Victoria Wilson leads the ODAC with a 10.02 assists-per-set average. She is also coming off an All-Conference campaign after earning third-team honors in 2017.

In 18 previous meetings between the two programs, Bridgewater holds a 10-8 edge in the series. However, Christopher Newport won last year's tilt, 3-0, behind 11 kills from Katie Crofford and seven by Oren and Kellyn DeChirico.

---CNU---