NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- Capitalizing on outstanding work along the net, the 24th-ranked Christopher Newport volleyball team swept a doubleheader on Friday evening as the Captains took down St. Mary's (Md.), 3-1 (25-15, 25-20, 17-25, 25-17), during a Capital Athletic Conference clash before beating Marymount, 3-0 (25-16, 27-25, 25-23), in the nightcap at the Freeman Center.
 
During the twin bill, CNU finished with 26 total blocks. Riley Garrison had a hand in 14 of those rejections, and Mackenzie Wright played a part in 11. Rounding out the suffocating front row defense, Megan O'Hara had nine stops, while Abby Oren and Kellyn DeChirico assisted on six apiece.
 
Along with the defensive efforts, Wright punched 19 kills while hitting at a .320 clip. Garrison also knocked home 16 blasts on only 33 attempts, and O'Hara dropped in 17. Helping balance out the attack, Lauren Tracy dished out 38 assists, and Hope Webb contributed 35.
 
With the two victories, Christopher Newport improves to 13-3 on the season, including 3-0 in league action. The setbacks drop St. Mary's (Md.) to 12-9 overall, while Marymount sits at 17-3.
 
In a sign of things to come, the Captains built a wall along the net early in the first set against St. Mary's. Garrison came out on fire with four rejections, including three during a six-point run early in the stanza. Later, during the middle of the set, the junior flashed her offensive chops as she launched a line drive rocket off a defender and into the stands to help snatch a 16-11 lead.
 
Later, the hosts also found their groove from the service line. Tracy and Katie Crofford both popped aces before Garrison tattooed another Seahawk with a scorcher of her own to earn set-point at 24-14. Although the visitors held on for one rally, an SMC error eventually handed CNU a 25-15 triumph.
 
In the second set, DeChirico landed a pair of quick kills, including a tip over a block attempt, but St. Mary's wiggled out to an 11-8 edge. Unfazed, Christopher Newport battled back behind some impressive hustle. On one rally, Webb saved a tough deflection from landing on press row before bolting back onto the court and dishing out an assist on a dart by O'Hara. Later, DeChirico went to work on the St. Mary's front row with back-to-back kills to secure a modest 14-13 lead.
 
Trading blows, the two teams eventually found themselves deadlocked at 19 before Wright stepped up during a huge five-point surge. The freshman flashed her offensive skill set with a tracer off a defender before dropping in a well-placed tip. She also teamed up with Oren on a block to secure set-point at 24-19. Two rallies later, Oren unloaded the kill shot off a feed from Webb to ice the 25-20 triumph.
 
Early in the third set, Wright raised up and destroyed an overpass before tooling the block with another stinger. Unfortunately, the visitors withstood the early onslaught. St. Mary's eventually inched out to a 13-10 lead and continued to stretch its advantage. Although Wright came back with a tip and O'Hara knocked a shot off a Seahawk and into the stands, SMC eventually took the third, 25-17.
 
Looking to rebound, the Captains turned back to their defense. In the fourth set, DeChirico came through with three quick blocks, including a pair with Garrison. Later, Wright rose up and hammered an out-stretched bullet over the St. Mary's front line before Josie Lucernoni dropped in an ace on the way to an 18-13 edge.
 
Still starring on the defensive side, Oren and Garrison came through with a pair of blocks during the tail end of the match, while Lucernoni added an acrobatic save to keep a lengthy rally alive. With little left to prove, Katie Piper painted the back corner with a kill before Wright handcuffed a defender with a spinner to clinch the 25-17 win.
 
Wright eventually finished with a team-high 12 kills, while O'Hara had 10 against the Seahawks. On the defensive side, Garrison assisted on nine rejections, while Oren and Wright helped out on six apiece. On the back row, Lucernoni plucked 22 digs, and Crofford contributed 11. Tracy also added a double-double with 20 assists and 12 digs.
 
After a brief break, Christopher Newport returned to the court to face former conference foe Marymount, who entered the match receiving votes in the AVCA National Coaches Poll. Playing in front of a packed house and the pep band, the Captains looked re-energized and pummeled the Saints early on.
 
Kicking off the first set, Piper drilled a pair of kills, while Wright assisted on two blocks. Meanwhile, Garrison and Webb each dropped in aces on the way to a 9-3 lead. Although the Saints called for a timeout, the momentum never shifted. Wright fired back with two more darts, while O'Hara and Garrison teamed up on another block to steal a 15-8 advantage.
 
Marching towards a quick victory, Webb elevated and saved an overpass from crossing the net before tipping the ball to Wright, who dotted the back corner with a kill. Later, DeChirico and Oren unloaded on late kills before a Marymount miscue gave the Captains a 25-16 win.
 
Looking to bounce back, the Saints jumped out to a 7-3 lead in the second before Webb took over at the service line. Dismantling the Marymount defense, she split a pair of defenders with an ace before peppering a third Saint with a second winner. Continuing her run, she caught the tape with another serve, which dripped over and landed for her third ace in the span of four rallies and gave the hosts an 8-7 edge.
 
Fighting back, Marymount eventually flipped the script and grabbed a 17-13 lead before Garrison popped a kill and ace on back-to-back rallies. Chipping away at the deficit, Piper and Oren contributed two kills apiece before a block by Wright and O'Hara evened the score at 23. Although the visitors managed to earn set-point at 25-24, the Captains shot back.
 
An MU error knotted the score at 25 before DeChirico popped a kill along the far pin, which gave CNU the lead and forced Marymount to call a timeout. Following the break, Piper unleashed an ace that drilled a defender and bounced into the stands to lock up the 27-25 win.
 
Trying to keep the match alive, Marymount earned a 19-16 lead late in the third set before Christopher Newport called a timeout. Responding, DeChirico stonewalled a quick hitter off an overpass along the near pin for a back-breaking solo block. After two straight kills by Oren, Garrison and O'Hara teamed up on another rejection during a three-point run, which gave the hosts a 22-21 lead.
 
Keeping the pressure on, Oren cut in a kill along the far pin before Crofford dropped an ace in front of two defenders to grab match-point at 24-22. Two rallies later, Garrison rocked a blocker with a brute-force kill, which sent the Saint tumbling to the court and iced the 25-23 triumph.
 
Garrison finished the contest with nine kills and blistered three aces for the second straight match. Webb also dropped in four winners to go along with 15 assists. On the defensive side, O'Hara led the way with seven blocks, while Wright and Garrison helped out on five apiece. On the back row, Tracy contributed 11 digs to go along with 18 assists, and Crofford was a flawless 22-for-22 on serve-receive.
 
Christopher Newport will return to action on Saturday for another twin bill beginning at 11 a.m. The Captains will open against Randolph before hosting Messiah to wrap up a busy Family Weekend.
 
---CNU---