NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- The Christopher Newport Captains will traverse the bay this weekend for a road trip to Salisbury. The Captains will play twice on Saturday, including their first ever Coast-to-Coast Athletic Conference match when they take on the hosting Sea Gulls.
Match Details
The Captains are set for back-to-back matches on Saturday. They'll square off against Salisbury at 11:00am and take on Swarthmore at 1:00pm. Both matches can be streamed on the Sea Gull Sports Network. The match with Salisbury will also have
live stats.
Last Time Out
Christopher Newport Volleyball won their fifth straight match on Wednesday night, taking a 3-0 sweep over Virginia State. The Captains haven't lost a set in a week (since September 10) and have been getting it done in all phases of the game. Sammy Carroll continues to shine as the Captains' setter. She leads the conference and ranks fourth nationally in assists (11.06/set). On the attacking front, Maddie Carter and Kyla McIntrye have proved difficult to contain. Carter ranks third in the conference with an average of 3.06 kills per set, with McIntyre close behind in sixth place (2.79 kills/set). Anna Dean has been stellar in her serves as well - her 25 aces are the most in the C2C and are the ninth-most nationally.
By The Numbers
.227
CNU's attackers have been strong and accurate this season. Their hitting percentage of .227 is second-best in the conference and ranks in the nation's top 50. The Captains' attack will certainly be put to the test this weekend, especially against Salisbury. The Sea Gulls rank fifth nationally in blocks, averaging 2.48 per set, and have held opposing attackers to a conference-best .130 hitting percentage.
Series History
Christopher Newport and Salisbury share a long series history that dates back to 1983. The teams have met 38 times in 38 years, and now as C2C conference rivals, that won't change anytime soon. In fact, Salisbury will make a return trip to Newport News in October for the CNU Invitational. Historically, CNU leads the series 24-14 and has won the last six in a row, including two 3-0 sweeps in 2019. Conversely, this will be the first meeting between Christopher Newport and Swarthmore.
Scouting the Sea Gulls
Salisbury has posted a 5-3 record so far this season. All five of their wins have been three-set wins, but they've had trouble maintaining consistency. Since opening the season with two wins, Salisbury has alternated wins and losses throughout their schedule. CNU shares two common opponents with the Sea Gulls: Virginia Wesleyan and Susquehanna. Both CNU and Salisbury lost to Virginia Wesleyan, but the Captains earned a 3-2 win over Susquehanna while Salisbury lost 3-0.
Scouting the Garnett
Swarthmore is an even 3-3 early in the year. The Garnett went 2-1 in their home quad tournament last weekend, taking down Marymount and Lebanon Valley, but losing to Stevens. Sophomore Kaylee Zhang has led the attack so far. With a season-high 12 kills in her most recent match, Zhang leads the team with 52 kills (2.36/set). Fellow sophomore Grace Hegland has also made a difference at the net with 14 blocks.
