NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- Wrapping up Capital Athletic Conference action with an impressive statement, the 23rd-ranked Christopher Newport volleyball team rolled past Southern Virginia, 3-0 (25-19, 25-21, 25-21), on Wednesday evening at the Freeman Center.
 
In a battle featuring two of the top-four teams in the league standings, the Captains flashed their firepower. Katie Piper unloaded 11 kills and was one of four players with two aces. Riley Garrison, who also uncorked a pair of winners, added seven kills and two blocks, while Katie Crofford and Kellyn DeChirico connected on six blasts apiece.
 
With the victory, Christopher Newport improves to 20-4 on the season, including 6-1 in league action. The setback drops Southern Virginia to 14-9 with a 4-3 mark against conference foes.
 
Getting off to a solid start in the first set, Piper and Garrison clocked back-to-back kills before Josie Lucernoni pumped an ace. Capping off an early five-point run, Megan O'Hara took advantage of a rail rider as her attack caught the tape, rolled down the top of the net, and dripped over for a perfectly-placed kill. Later, after an SVU timeout, Garrison pumped two more kills before DeChirico chipped in with a block and blast to snatch a 14-7 lead.
 
Continuing her solid run, DeChirico painted the back line with a kill before Garrison and Abby Oren teamed up on a devastating block along the pin that sent the ball spiraling back into the face of a Knight. Still pushing, Piper got the SVU libero to hit the hardwood after a looping serve. Although the defender made a diving save, Garrison blasted the overpass to snatch a 21-13 lead.
 
With little left to prove, Hope Webb connected with Oren on a beautiful back set for one final dagger before DeChirico and O'Hara added a late block to help ice the 25-19 triumph.
 
In the second stanza, the two squads found themselves deadlocked at nine before the Captains slowly inched ahead. Following a lengthy back-and-forth rally, DeChirico dropped in a tip before Piper made her presence felt. Assaulting the SVU defense, the junior clubbed four kills and an ace in the middle of the stanza, including a back-row blast, which helped earn a 20-15 lead.
 
Although Southern Virginia responded and won the next three rallies, DeChirico had an answer. The senior showed a nice touch with an assist on a kill by Oren before unloading on a pass from Webb with a lethal rocket to grab a 23-18 lead. After that point, Christopher Newport took advantage of two Southern Virginia miscues to secure the 25-21 victory.
 
In the third set, the Captains flashed a little finesse early in the stanza as Garrison landed a tip before Oren used a gentle tap to send back an overpass. Shortly thereafter, Garrison returned with some heat as she hammered a shot off a defender and into the stands before teaming with Piper on a block on the way to a 9-9 draw.
 
Looking to break free, Christopher Newport pieced together a four-point run, including a pair of daggers by Crofford, to grab a 13-10 lead. Later, Garrison and Lucernoni both added their second aces, while Piper dropped in a pair of soft kills to push the advantage to 23-17. After showcasing her delicate touch, Piper unloaded on her next attempt as she cracked her 11th kill of the contest to earn match-point. One rally later, she closed things out from the service line with a screaming ace to lock up the 25-21 triumph.
 
On the defensive end, Lucernoni finished with 14 digs, while Crofford added 11. Rebecca Frey also pocketed seven digs during her time on the court, and Piper was a perfect nine-for-nine on serve-receive to go along with her offensive exploits. Meanwhile, Webb finished with 17 assists, and Ashley Burgess dished out 12.
 
Christopher Newport will return to the court on Friday with a twin bill against Virginia Wesleyan and No. 20 Berry to kick off the CNU Invitational. Action gets underway at 3 p.m.
 
---CNU---