NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- The 24th-ranked Christopher Newport volleyball team capitalized on a well-balanced effort to sweep William Peace, 3-0 (25-19, 25-21, 25-17), during a non-conference tilt on Wednesday evening at the Freeman Center.

During the contest, 12 players contributed at least one point for the Captains. Katie Piper led the way with 12 kills and nine digs. Megan O'Hara also clubbed 11 kills for CNU, and Riley Garrison chipped in with eight. Meanwhile, Lauren Tracy produced her fourth double-double in the last five matches with 34 assists and 15 digs.

Equally effective on the defensive side, Allie Plumlee pocketed 10 digs, while Sam Plesce assisted on a pair of blocks. Abby Oren remained busy on serve-receive and converted all 13 of her reception attempts as well.

With the victory, Christopher Newport improves to 7-3 on the season. The setback drops William Peace to 8-4.

In a tight battle early on, the Captains held a two-point edge in the opening stanza before piecing together a healthy mid-set surge. Ripping off four straight points, the hosts capitalized on an ace by Katie Crofford and kills from Oren and Piper to stretch the lead to 12-6 heading into a Peace timeout. Although the break helped momentarily, the visitors could only whittle their deficit down to three before CNU put the finishing touches on the frame.

Following another William Peace timeout, Mackenzie Wright knocked down a kill before Katie Piper blasted a rocket that tattooed a defender and nearly deflected off the ceiling to lock up the 25-19 victory.

Keeping the momentum, Piper opened up the second set with another blistering rope before O'Hara and Garrison connected on two apiece to secure a slim 10-8 edge. Although the Pacers managed to fight back and pull even on two occasions, the Captains never fell behind. Landing a bevy of blows, Tiaralyn McBride clubbed back-to-back aces before Maddie Carter smacked a kill off the top of a Peace block attempt to earn a 22-15 advantage.

From there, Kellyn DeChirico hammered two straight kills before a WPU miscue handed Christopher Newport a 25-21 win.

Looking to make quick work of the Pacers, CNU stormed out to a fast 6-0 lead in the third frame behind an ace by Tracy and a solo block by DeChirico. Later, Oren found her groove with a pair of kills, and Plesce teamed up with O'Hara and Tracy on two blocks during a mid-set run, which gave CNU a double-digit edge at 17-7.

Although the Pacers continued fighting, the Captains never lost control. Piper finished off her match with two late kills, while Rachel Blitt joined the fun with a dagger to the heart of the Peace defense. With little left to prove, Crofford drove home her fourth ace of the match before another WPU error locked up the 25-17 triumph.

In addition to Crofford's four aces, Tracy and McBride both popped a pair. The squad was equally dominant on the defensive side as Christopher Newport allowed just one ace. Crofford was a perfect 10-for-10 on serve-receive, while Josie Lucernoni converted nine attempts to go along with nine digs. Rebecca Frey stepped in as the libero in the final stanza and was equally flawless to close out the sweep.

Christopher Newport will return to action on Friday at 6 p.m. when the squad continues Capital Athletic Conference play at Frostburg State.

---CNU---