Volleyball 10/28/2021 4:29:00 PM Harrison Huntley

Christopher Newport Wraps Up Regular Season with CNU Invitational

The Christopher Newport Captains will close out the regular season at home this weekend by hosting the CNU Invitational. The Captains are set to host two matches on Friday before Senior Day on Saturday.

Match Details

The Captains open the weekend hosting Virginia Wesleyan at 5:00pm on Friday followed by a match against Salisbury. Saturday is Senior Day for the Captains as they host Marymount at noon.

Last Time Out

Christopher Newport took down Lynchburg in a three-set sweep on Tuesday night to improve to 18-8 on the season. Sammy Carroll helped CNU in all facets with 38 assists, four service aces, and three blocks. The Captains were also stellar on defense, holding Lynchburg to 20 kills and committing just one reception error in the match. On the attacking side, Maddie Carter led the Captains in kills as she's done in six of the last seven matches.

By The Numbers

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This weekend will be the final home match for three Captains. Maddie Carter, Rebecca Frey, and Mackenzie Wright will be honored ahead of Saturday's match for their contributions to the program. Maddie Carter is the team and conference leader in kills this season with 313, averaging over three per set. Rebecca Frey has provided strong defensive play this season, ranking fourth on the team with 152 digs. She's also third on the team and fourth in the conference with 42 service aces. Mackenzie Wright has protected the net well this year with a team-best 66 blocks and boasts the team's highest hitting percentage at .305.

Series History

The weekend presents two rematches for the Captains. CNU will look to avenge a season-opening loss to Virginia Wesleyan. The Captains own a 17-3 all-time record against the Marlins. They'll look to extend their seven-match winning streak over Salisbury after their 3-1 win at Salisbury earlier this year. The Captains are 25-14 all-time against the SeaGulls. Finally, CNU is 15-14 against Marymount, a team they faced three times in 2019. The Captains took down the Saints in both regular season matchups, but fell in their regional match.

Scouting the Marlins

Virginia Wesleyan comes into the weekend with an impressive 21-7 record and is second in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference with a 9-2 record. The Marlins have won three of their last four, but lost their most recent match 3-0 against Randolph-Macon. Sydney Collins and Emma Claytor work well together at the net, each hitting over .300 and combining for 140 blocks this season.

Scouting the SeaGulls

Salisbury is 12-9 on the season, but have looked impressive as of late. Prior to last Saturday's 3-1 loss to Virginia Wesleyan, the SeaGulls hadn't dropped a set in five matches. Their late surge may be enough to get them into next weekend's Coast-to-Coast conference tournament, so there's a chance the Captains may see more of Salisbury. They've been a force at the net with 2.18 blocks per set, the 12th-best average in the country. Jenna Feinauer leads the way with 1.14 blocks per set and ranks 11th in the nation.

Scouting the Saints

Marymount is 13-11 this season and were on an eight-match winning streak before dropping their last two. They rank second in the Atlantic East conference at 5-1 and lead the conference with a .184 team hitting percentage. Their top attacker is Elissa Munsterman who averages just below three kills a set at 2.98, second-best in the conference.

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