NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- Christopher Newport Volleyball wraps up their five game season opening homestand on Wednesday as Virginia Wesleyan crosses the James River to visit the Captains.

Match Details

The Captains and Marlins are set to match up at 6:00pm on Wednesday at the Freeman Center. Live stats will be available on CNU's Website.

Last Time Out

CNU finished 2-2 in the Captains Classic over the weekend, with wins over Hollins and Lewis & Clark and losses to Juniata and UW-Oshkosh. Noelle Starr and Megan James were named to the All-Tournament team. Starr had 20 or more digs in three of the four matches, including 27 against UW-Oshkosh, and was perfect in serve receive against Hollins. James starred in her first collegiate action, leading the Captains in two matches with 13 kills against Juniata and Lewis & Clark, and leads CNU with 40 kills through the season's first four matches. Mackenzie Wright also wasted no time making an impact, with 31 kills and a team-best 14 blocks in the first weekend. 

By The Numbers

26 - The Captains played strong defense at the net in the first weekend, totaling 26 blocks in the first four matches. That's the highest total in the Coast-to-Coast conference and 47th in the nation so far. Mackenzie Wright has 14 of those blocks, which is also the 47th most in the country.

Series History

CNU holds an 18-3 advantage over Virginia Wesleyan in the all-time series, including a season split in 2021. The Marlins took last year's season opener in Virginia Beach 3-1, but the Captains got revenge in the Freeman Center later in the season with a 3-1 win. In the win, Maddie Carter contributed 18 kills and Sammy Carroll finished the match with 60 assists, her season-best and the 6th highest total in CNU history.

Scouting the Marlins

Virginia Wesleyan hosted the Marlin Invitational and came up with a 4-0 tournament sweep in their opening weekend. With wins over Greensboro College, Mary Washington, Pitt-Bradford, and Southern Virginia, the Marlins started their season on a high note. A balanced attack saw four players total 35 or more kills, and senior setter Haley Sutton had 98 assists and 12 service aces in the first four matches.