NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- Kicking off the Capital Athletic Conference Tournament with a well-balanced team effort, the 25th-ranked Christopher Newport volleyball squad rolled past Penn St. Harrisburg, 3-0 (25-11, 25-11, 25-23), during a first-round bout on Tuesday evening at the Freeman Center.
 
Against the Lions, Hope Webb matched her career-high with five aces, while Kellyn DeChirico equaled her personal-best with five blocks. Pounding away along the net, Katie Piper unloaded a match-high nine kills, while Katie Crofford contributed seven. Meanwhile, helping the squad post a .286 team hitting percentage, Riley Garrison landed six blasts on 13 swings, and Abby Oren connected on five of her 11 attack attempts.
 
On the back row, Josie Lucernoni secured 11 digs and converted all 14 of her reception attempts. Crofford also went 15-for-15 on serve-receive to go along with seven digs.
 
With the victory, Christopher Newport improves to 23-5 on the season and advances to the CAC semifinals for a bout with York (Pa.) on Thursday at 7 p.m. at the Freeman Center. The setback drops Penn St. Harrisburg to 10-18 overall.
 
Setting the tone early, DeChirico tormented the Penn St. Harrisburg attack. The senior walled off both pins with a pair of early blocks before returning with another back-breaking rejection to secure a 7-1 lead. Although the Lions clawed their way back into the set, CNU responded with a six-point surge. Garrison landed a pair of kills, including a rocket off an overpass. Meanwhile, Webb connected on a pair of aces and tallied two assists during the rally to push the lead to 14-6.
 
Keeping the momentum, Crofford tooled a block attempt before finding a soft spot in the defense with a cross-court shot to the back corner for an 18-9 edge. Closing things out, DeChirico hit the Lions with two late kills before Crofford laced an ace that spun over the tape and into open spaces on the way to a 25-11 triumph.
 
Still rolling in the second stanza, Piper flashed her arsenal in the early going. The junior connected on an off-speed tip before blasting a screamer off two defenders and the antennae. Shortly thereafter, Lucernoni handcuffed a Lion with an ace before Megan O'Hara found a seam in a double-block attempt to earn a 9-3 lead and kick off a huge mid-set surge.
 
Taking the ball with a six-point edge, Webb stepped to the serve line and lit up the Lions. Keeping the opposition on their heels, the junior setter headlined an eight-point assault. She bookended a timeout with a pair of aces while also assisting on a dagger by Garrison. Meanwhile, Lucernoni also kept the surge alive with a diving dig that saw the libero flip head-over-heels on the way to a 16-3 advantage.
 
After that point, the Captains cruised to the victory. Leading the late push, Ashley Burgess unleashed a ferocious assault from the service line. Although the Lions were able to keep her serves from hitting the hardwood, her screamers helped set up three late kills by Crofford before O'Hara added the final nail with a scorcher off a back-row defender to ice another 25-11 triumph.
 
In the third set, Christopher Newport kicked things off with a soft attack as Burgess landed a setter dump before Piper hit the visitors with a tip. Later, the Captains flashed their firepower again as Oren unloaded on a back set by Webb before Piper torched a block attempt on the way to a 12-6 lead. CNU's servers also continued to shine as Piper tossed a looping ace that dropped in the center of the defense before Tiaralyn McBride cracked a missile that was mishandled, which led to an easy kill by Crofford.
 
Although the Lions pieced together a valiant effort and whittled their deficit down to one at 21-20, the Captains never lost their lead. Eventually, the hosts took advantage of three late errors, while Oren blew a kill off a defender to help seal the 25-23 victory.
 
Along with Webb's five aces, Crofford spun a pair during the match. Meanwhile, on the front row, O'Hara and Piper assisted on a pair of blocks, while DeChirico chipped in with six kills to go along with her five rejections. Burgess also finished with a team-high 18 assists.
 
---CNU---