#14 Volleyball Heads to Georgia This Weekend, Will Play Three 2018 NCAA Tournament Teams

NORFOLK, Va. - Christopher Newport rose to #14 in this week's AVCA national rankings this week after an impressive 2-1 week that saw them defeat #3 Juniata 3-2. This weekend will be just as stiff of a test as they will battle the defending national champions in addition to two more NCAA Tournament teams.

The square off first against #1 ranked and defending national champions Emory University on Friday at 3 pm. They then face off against #9 Berry at 7 pm, a 2018 NCAA Second Round Participant. Saturday sees the Captains compete in back-to-back contests against Endicott College at 11 am and #20 Mary Hardin-Baylor, a 2018 Sweet 16 participant, at 1 pm.

Each game will be webcasted along with live stats. A link for each contest can be found at https://www.cnusports.com/schedule.aspx?path=wvball

The Captains are building towards another impressive season after winning 26 games along with the CAC Championship and advancing to the NCAA Second Round in 2018. CNU is 2-1 with victories over Marymount (3-0) and #3 Juniata (3-2) with a loss to #4 Wisconsin-Eau Claire (3-1). The Captains will have a chance to avenge last year's 3-2 loss to Berry.

Do-it-all player Katie Piper along with defensive specialist Rebecca Frey were named to the Captains Classic all-tournament team this past weekend. Piper ranks in the top two on the team in kills (2.33), aces (6), and digs (3.25) while Frey has a team-leading 58 digs and is second in aces with five. Riley Garrison has a team-high 31 kills (2.58) while Katie Crofford is in third at 27 (2.25). Garrison also has four aces and team-bests with nine blocks and a .279 hitting percentage while Crofford is third in digs at 33 (2.75) and is tied for the lead in aces with six. Sammy Carroll and Hope Webb have impressed at the setter position with Carroll contributing 79 assists (6.58), a team-high six aces, and 24 digs while Webb checks in at 41 helpers (4.10), four aces, and 20 digs. Mackenzie Wright is second on the team in blocks with eight, including a team-leading three solo blocks, while Abby Oren is closely behind at seven.

The #1 Emory University Eagles went 30-6 last year, defeating Mary Hardin-Baylor in the regional final 3-0 and Juniata 3-0 in the Final Four. They have picked up where they left off last year, winning their first three matches, including a 3-1 victory over #6 Johnson & Wales (R.I.). While two sets were closely contested, the Eagles won sets two and four each by 10+ points.

Leah Saunders, a 2018 Honorable Mention All-American, tops the team in kills at 3.82 per set while Tara Martin and Morgan McKnight check-in at 2.91. Saunders also boasts a .359 hitting percentage with a team-high seven aces and Martin is hitting at .338 clip. Cassie Srb has the reigns at setter, averaging 10.73 assists per set. Elyse Thompson, also a 2018 Honorable Mention All-American, has a team-best 48 digs to go with five aces, and Saunders is second on the team in digs at 30. Finn Wilkins paces the team in blocks with six, four of the solo variety, while Amanda Meyer has five total and Martin and Roisin O'Dowd each have four.

The Berry Vikings, ranked 9th, are off to an impressive 3-0 start. They went up to Ithaca, N.Y. this past weekend for the Ithaca Bombers Invitational where they defeated the hosts, #11 Ithaca, 3-2 bouncing back from a 2-0 deficit. They followed with a pair of 3-0 wins over Wisconsin-La Crosse and Ohio Wesleyan. Last year, they won 26 games with just four losses, including a 13-1 mark in the SAA, en route to the SAA Championship and the NCAA Final Four.

Emily Hancock and Carson VanCampen, a 2018 All-American, lead the offense with 3.09 and 2.45 kills per set respectively. Emily Rapach and Jordan Leitch form a quality tag team at setter with 8.67 and 7.00 assists per set. The Vikings excel on serves at 3.36 service aces per set, led by Hancock's 11 total. A do-it-all player, Hancock also has 41 digs (3.73/set), good for second on the team, to go with six blocks. Laura Beier leads the squad in digs with 4.91 a set while VanCampen paces the way in blocks at 12 (1.09).

Endicott is 3-0 this year with their most impressive win coming against MIT at 3-2, who is receiving votes in the AVCA national rankings. The Gulls had to rebound from a 2-0 deficit over MIT. A season ago they went 18-11, 7-1 in the CCC, and saw their season end in a 3-2 loss to Roger Williams in the CCC semifinals.

Endicott features a balanced offense with five players at 20+ kills, led by Amanda Gilbert at 39 (3.25). Zoey Gifford tops the team in assists at 127 (10.58) while Remi Quesnelle leads the way on services with 11 (1.00) service aces. Mackenzie Kennedy and Lauren McGrath are the top two in digs at 53 (4.42) and 40 (3.64) respectively. Nicole Winkler has recorded a team-high 10 rejections (0.83).

Mary Hardin-Baylor is 2-2 this year, winning against Minnesota Morris and Nuemann but losing a pair of 3-1 contests to #7 Trinity (Texas) and #22 Saint Benedict. In 2018, they went 28-5 overall, 15-0 in ASC, winning the ASC Championship. They defeated Berry College in the NCAA Tournament before dropping a 3-0 match to Emory in the Elite Eight.

A pair of 2018 All-Americans lead the team in kills in Miranda Klein at 3.07 per set and Jenna Gillean at 2.13. Cory Jo Martin has posted a team-high 103 assists (6.87) while Haleigh Evans and Adrien Valdez check in with four service aces. Four players come in with 40+ digs, including Evans (47), Klein (43), Martin (42), and Gillean (40). A strong blocking team, Kayla Janikula tops the team with 14, including three solo blocks. Sarah Paolini is second with 10, four solo, and Miranda Klein follows with nine, three solo. Gillean also has eight.

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