HUNTINGDON, Pa. -- Continuing her postseason dominance, Katie Piper clubbed a match-high 18 kills to help carry the 24th-ranked Christopher Newport volleyball team past Bethany, 3-1 (29-27, 25-21, 26-28, 25-23), during the NCAA Regional Quarterfinals on Friday afternoon at Juniata's Memorial Gymnasium.

Headlining a long list of standout performers, Piper popped 18 kills while hitting at a .318 clip against the Bison. Her 18 blasts equaled the seventh-highest single-match total by a Captain in NCAA Tournament history. It also tied the most in any four-set tilt since former All-American Briana Sutton landed 20 at Washington & Lee on September 26, 2015.

With that performance, Piper has now notched at least 10 kills in all three NCAA Tournament matches over the past two seasons.

Along with Piper, Riley Garrison and Abby Oren had equally efficient afternoons. Garrison hammered 11 kills with a .429 hitting percentage, while Oren contributed 10 darts and a .318 mark. The last time CNU had three players with at least 10 kills and a .300 hitting percentage in a single NCAA Tournament match occurred in 2012 when Christie Fellows, Jessie Kolden, and current assistant coach Cory Taylor went off against UMass Boston in the National Quarterfinals.

With the victory, Christopher Newport improves to 26-5 and advances to the Regional Semifinals, which will take place on Saturday at 2:30 p.m. The Captains will square off with No. 7 Thomas More in a rematch from last year's NCAA Tournament. CNU upended the Saints, 3-2, during the 2017 Regional Quarterfinals in Atlanta.

In addition to the powerful performers along the net, Lauren Tracy also starred during her first appearance on the national stage. The freshman came through with a double-double after recording 23 assists and 14 digs against Bethany. She is just the fourth freshman in program history to reach double figures in both categories during an NCAA Tournament match. Current teammate Ashley Burgess was the last to reach those numbers after tallying 22 helpers and 14 digs against Thomas More in 2017. Former All-Americans Jessie Heavenrich and Brittany Collins are the only other Captains to accomplish the feat.

Also lending a helping hand on Friday, Hope Webb chipped in with 20 assists as well. The junior setter also pumped a pair of aces, including a back-breaker late in the fourth set, which gave CNU a 23-21 lead on the way to the victory.

On the defensive side, Josie Lucernoni patrolled the back row and came through with 21 digs, marking her ninth 20-dig outing of the year. Katie Crofford also plucked 21 digs, which established a new career-high. Staying busy, the junior also clocked eight kills and converted 46 of her 47 reception attempts. Her 47 attempts were the most by a Captain in a match this season. Meanwhile, Rebecca Frey also went 13-for-14 on serve-receive and hit Bethany with a pair of aces.

Along the front row, Christopher Newport continued tormenting the opposition. Entering the contest ranked sixth in the NCAA in total blocks, the Captains tacked 11 more onto their total with their performance on Friday. Megan O'Hara played a role in six of those rejections, while Garrison and Kellyn DeChirico had a hand in five apiece. With her six stops, O'Hara now has 105 blocks this year, which stands as the fourth-highest total by a sophomore in program history.

CNU will now set its sights on Thomas More with the opportunity to advance to the program's first Regional Championship since 2014. The title bout will take place on Sunday at 2 p.m.

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