NEWPORT NEWS, Va. - Volleyball makes their return to home on Tuesday as they host the William Peace University Pacers at 7 p.m. from the friendly confines of the Freeman Center. Live coverage of the match can be found at https://www.cnusports.com/schedule.aspx?path=wvball​​​​​​​
The Captains and Pacers have met 28 times and the Captains have a remarkable 28-0 record against William Peace with the last matchup being 25-19, 25-21, 25-17 decision on September 26, 2018.
The Captains had a strong showing over the weekend, going 2-1 at the Messiah Invitational with the lone loss being a 3-1 match vs. #2 Calvin College. It was only the second time this season that Calvin has dropped a set this season.
Riley Garrison led the team in kills for the tournament with 29 on just two errors and 49 attempts for a blistering 55.1% hitting percentage. She posted a weak-high 12 kills on 18 attempts against Messiah. She also added on 11 total blocks, including seven vs. #2 Calvin College.
Meanwhile, William Peace is off to an impressive 9-0 start, having lost more than one set in just one match, a 3-2 victory against Guilford College over the weekend. They have one win against a Capital Athletic Conference opponent on their resume, coming in a 3-1 decision vs. Southern Virginia in their season opener on August 30.
Individually, Katie Crofford leads the Captains in points this season with 95.0 on 72 kills, 17 services aces, and 10 blocks (two solo, eight assisted). Her 72 kills are second on the squad while the 17 aces pace the team. Additionally, she has contributed 72 digs, good for second.
Katie Piper checks in with 91 points on 76 kills, 11 aces, and eight assisted blocks. She is second on the team in kills and digs and third in aces. Garrison has contributed 82 points, ranking third on the team in kills at 64 and first in hitting percentage at .266. Additionally, she has a team-high 24 blocks. Mackenzie Wright has also been impressive at the net with 22 total blocks, including a team-best four solo rejections. Additionally, she has 50 kills and is hitting .250.
Freshmen setter Sammy Carroll has proven to be an all-around player. While she leads the team in assists at 231, she has also posted 13 kills, 13 aces, 64 digs, and eight assisted blocks. Rebecca Frey has continued to establish herself as the top libero on the team with a team-high 118 digs and has proven valuable on services with seven aces.
William Peace boasts a formidable trio of outside hitters in Mya Parks, Abby Benton, and Brianna Laskowski. The three are averaging a combined 11.5 points per set with Mya Parks leading the way at 4.4. She has posted 125 kills with a .270 hitting percentage to go with eight aces, 142 digs, and eight assisted blocks. Benton checks in with 90 kills, a team-high 16 aces, 117 digs, and 14 blocks. Laskowski has contributed 70 kills, 78 digs, and 15 blocks. Brianna Davis has the high-water mark for blocks on the squad with 25 while Jasmine Smith isn't far behind with 20.
Brittany Carpenter and Sarah Scott have combined for 306 assists, 166 for Carpenter and 140 for Scott. Carpenter also adds 28 kills, six aces, 36 digs, and six blocks while Scott has contributed eight kills, eight aces, and 60 digs.
Bergin Gillespie has a team-high 160 digs while Parks and Benton rank second and third at 142 and 117.
