NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- In the squad's first league action of the season, the 20th-ranked Christopher Newport volleyball team came out swinging as
Abby Oren and
Katie Piper helped carry the Captains past York (Pa.), 3-0 (25-20, 25-19, 25-16), in a Capital Athletic Conference clash on Saturday afternoon at the Freeman Center.
During the bout, Oren and Piper accounted for over half of the team's kills. Piper laced a match-high 15 blasts against the Spartans, while Oren pounded 10 to go along with a .398 hitting percentage. Meanwhile,
Lauren Tracy kept the offense flowing with 40 assists, and
Katie Crofford led the way on the back row while equaling her career-high with 17 digs.
With the victory, CNU improves to 6-3 on the season, including 1-0 in conference play. York (Pa.) falls to 7-5 with an 0-1 mark against league foes.
In the first stanza, the Spartans slipped out to an early 7-5 lead before CNU regrouped. Capitalizing on a seven-point run, which included an ace by Crofford and a pair of kills by
Riley Garrison, the Captains snatched a 12-7 advantage. Although York fought back and whittled its deficit down to one on two separate occasions, Christopher Newport never lost its lead.
Kicking off a late push, Oren painted the back corner with a kill before Piper put the finishing touches on the opening set. The junior dotted the middle of the defense with a dart to grab a 22-18 lead. Following a YCP timeout, Piper dented the hardwood with a dagger before landing a cross-court kill in the far corner to lock up the 25-20 victory.
Looking to build upon their first-set triumph, the Captains opened up an 11-5 lead early in the second stanza, punctuated by a rocket by Piper that deflected off a defender and landed deep in the stands. After York whistled for a timeout, the visitors regrouped and made things interesting in the middle of the set. Despite a pair of blocks by
Mackenzie Wright and two kills by Oren, the Spartans managed to inch back within one at 19-18.
Unfazed by the resurgence, CNU landed a counter punch. Tracy and Garrison sent back a York attack before
Tiaralyn McBride took over at the line at the tail end of the set. The sophomore kept the Spartans off-balance with a lethal combination of serves, including a spinner that was mishandled and led to a YCP error. Later, Piper and Wright came back with the final two blows after knocking back-to-back kills off York blockers to ice the 25-19 triumph.
In the third set, the Spartans came out with a strong push and won the first five rallies. Undeterred, Piper handcuffed a back-row defender with a line-drive ace. Later, the Captains used a little finesse to even the score. Crofford and
Megan O'Hara landed a pair of tips over out-stretched defenders before Tracy came back with a setter dump. Shortly thereafter,
Allie Plumlee hit the court with a nice save from her knees that led to another kill by Piper. Meanwhile, McBride continued to star at the line with a tremendous serve that led to another York error, which evened the score at 10.
In a tight battle, Christopher Newport used its full arsenal as Tracy landed another dump, Piper unloaded on a cross-court tracer, and O'Hara dropped in a floater during a huge mid-set push. Later, Crofford pounded a shot that just caught the tape and dripped over for a well-placed kill, which helped give the squad an 18-15 advantage.
With a little cushion, the Captains cruised to the victory. Once again, McBride took over at the line and kept the Spartans on their heels. She eventually dropped an ace in the back corner before Wright launched a kill through the block to earn match-point at 24-16. One rally later, Piper landed the kill shot with her 15th dagger to lock up the sweep.
Along with her 15 kills, Piper also collected 14 digs for her fourth straight double-double.
Josie Lucernoni also pocketed 14 digs and was a perfect 14-for-14 on serve-receive.
Christopher Newport will return to action on Wednesday when the squad hosts William Peace at 7 p.m.
---CNU---
