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NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- The 23rd-ranked Christopher Newport volleyball team will kick off the Capital Athletic Conference Tournament on Tuesday at 7 p.m. when the Captains host Penn St. Harrisburg in a first-round tilt at the Freeman Center.
 
Entering the playoffs, the Captains are the league's No. 2 seed after wrapping up the regular season with a 22-5 record, including a 6-1 ledger in conference play. Penn St. Harrisburg comes in as the No. 7 seed. The Lions have compiled a 10-17 mark with a 1-6 record against league foes.
 
Tickets for Tuesday's match will be $5 for adults and $3 for students and children. CNU students will be admitted free with their student ID.
 
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 went 3-1 last week with the team's only setback coming in a five-set decision against No. 20 Berry. Headlining the squad's efforts last week, Katie Crofford and Megan O'Hara both earned All-Tournament honors for their work in the CNU Invitational. O'Hara hit .365 while notching 12 blocks during the tournament, while O'Hara pocketed 31 digs and hammered six aces.
 
Through the regular season, Riley Garrison leads the CAC with a 1.18 blocks-per-set average and sits fourth with a .278 hitting percentage. Meanwhile, Katie Piper is sixth in the conference in kills per set (2.69) and 11th in aces (35), while Josie Lucernoni's 4.33 digs-per-set mark places her seventh among league competitors.
 
On the other side, Penn St. Harrisburg has dropped its last two decisions, including a 3-0 setback at Mary Washington on Saturday. Despite the stumble, Brittany Wolf is second in the conference with a .292 hitting percentage and 10th with a 2.44 kills-per-set average. Equally lethal from the service line, Kristin Waring boasts a league-high 0.73 aces-per-set average, and Katelyn Hossler sits sixth in that category (0.46).
 
In six previous meetings between the two programs, Christopher Newport holds a 6-0 edge. The Captains notched a 3-1 victory earlier this year in Pennsylvania. Mackenzie Wright led CNU with 13 kills and a .550 hitting percentage against Penn St. Harrisburg, while Piper also added 10 kills and 10 digs. Melanie Sheaffer clubbed 10 kills for the Lions.
 
The winner of Tuesday's bout will advance to the CAC semifinals for a Thursday showdown with the survivor of the #3 York - #6 Frostburg State match. The highest remaining seed in that group will host the contest.
 
---CNU---