NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- The Christopher Newport volleyball team will host two home tournaments at the Freeman Center and face nine 2019 NCAA Tournament participants as the Captains stand ready to take on a talented 2021 slate.

The Captains will enjoy home court advantage in two tournaments that nearly bookend the season. The Captains Classic and the CNU Invitational will bring talent from near and far to the Freeman Center. The Captains Classic features a visit from national quarterfinalist Clarkson, while the CNU Invitational includes Marymount (VA), who was one win away from the national quarterfinals. Additionally, the Captains will host five home matches outside of tournament play.

When they hit the road, Christopher Newport will visit five schools in the Old Dominion, as well as Coast-to-Coast conference mates Mary Washington and Salisbury. One of their trips is the Randolph-Macon Invitational matches against the 2019 national champion Johns Hopkins and the runner-up Emory. The Captains' furthest trip of the 2021 season will be to face Juniata in Huntingdon, Pennsylvania.

After three road exhibition games (William & Mary, Shepherd, and Johns Hopkins), the Captains will open up the 2021 season with a short road trip to Virginia Wesleyan on September 1, before hosting the Captains Classic on September 3 and 4. Christopher Newport will play four matches in the Captains Classic, with day one mathups against Cabrini and Susquehanna and day two bouts with Clarkson and Illinois Wesleyan. 

Following a mid-week trip to face Bridgewater on September 8, the Captains will head south to Raleigh, North Carolina for a trio of matches on September 10 and 11. They'll face Meredith College, William Peace, and Guilford in Raleigh before returning home to host Virginia State on September 15. CNU heads north on September 18 for two matches in Salisbury, Maryland, one against a Coast-to-Coast conference foe in Salisbury, and a neutral-site clash with Swarthmore.

After a brief trip to Eastern Mennonite on September 21, the Captains return home to the Freeman Center for their next three contests against Emory & Henry (September 24), Coast-to-Coast conference rival Mary Washington (September 28), and Randolph-Macon (September 30).

On October 2, Christopher Newport will head west to Lexington, Virginia for matches with Shenandoah and Washington & Lee before returning to the Freeman center to host St. Mary's (Md.) on October 6. The next weekend (October 9), the Captains travel to face Coast-to-Coast conference foe Mary Washington along with Randolph College. The following weekend brings a tough road test, as CNU travels to face Juniata and Ithaca, who both appeared in the 2019 NCAA tournament, in Huntingdon, Pennsylvania on October 15 and 16.

The Randolph-Macon Invitational is the toughest weekend on the Captains' schedule, starting on October 22 against Randolph-Macon. The next day, CNU will face the 2019 national runner-up Emory followed by the 2019 national champion Johns Hopkins.

Christopher Newport will wrap up the regular season with a road trip to Lynchburg on October 26 followed by the CNU Invitational. In the tournament, The Captains will face Virginia Wesleyan and Salisbury on October 29, and then Marymount (VA) on October 30 for senior day at the Freeman Center.

The Coast-to-Coast conference tournament runs from November 4 to 6 and will be hosted in Milwaukee. The NCAA tournament follows with regionals November 12-14 and the national championship November 18-20.

Christopher Newport returns their 2019 libero in Rebecca Frey, who had the fifth-most digs in the conference. The 2019 setter, Sammy Carroll, is also back for the Captains after leading the conference in assists as a freshman. CNU looks to rebuild their attack around Mackenzie Wright, the only returner with more than 100 kills in 2019. Rachael Humphrey transfers in from Bryant & Stratton where she was second on her team in kills during the an abbreviated 2020 campaign. Maddie Carter also returns for the Captains after tallying 32 kills in 2019.