Photo Gallery  ||  Press Conference

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. -- For the fourth year in a row and the seventh time in eight years, CNU made it through the first round of the NCAA volleyball tournament.
 
The Captains defeated SUNY Cortland 3-1 (25-16, 27-25, 24-26, 25-18) Thursday at TowneBank Arena in Virginia Beach. CNU (25-7) advanced to the regional semifinals against Juniata (Pa.) College, which defeated Grove City 3-0, Friday at 4:30 p.m.
 
Senior middle blocker Alyssa Dozier led the Captains with a career-high 27 kills, a school record for a postseason match. The previous mark was held by Katie Piper, who had 23 kills in five sets against Marymount in 2019.
 
Dozier moved up to fourth on CNU's all-time list in postseason kills with 119. With eight more, she would tie Caitlyn Jansen (2007-10) for third. Jansen is the head coach at Berry College, which plays Washington and Lee Thursday in TowneBank Arena.
 
Simara Alexander finished with 13 kills and Samantha Dorn had 10, raising her career total to 1,005. Dorn becomes just the 13th player in CNU Volleyball history to reach the 1,000-kill milestone. Emmy Carpenedo added six along with three service aces.
 
Freshman setter Fielding Croft posted 53 assists (13.25 per set), raising her season total to 1,004. With the impressive performance, Croft tied for the third most assists in an NCAA Tournament match while also becoming just the third freshman in program history to eclipse 1,000 assists in her first season. She joins CNU Hall of Famer Brittany Collins (1,356) and four-time All-American Sammy Carroll (1,230) in the elite group. 
 
CNU jumped out to a 6-1 lead in the first set with Dozier accounting for half of the Captains' points on kills. The lead was 18-14, and CNU put it away with a 4-0 run behind a kill and ace by Dorn.
 
The second set produced six ties, the last one coming at 25-25. The Captains took the set after a Cortland service error and a kill by Alexander.
 
CNU trailed for most of the third set and by as many as six points. The Captains forced ties at 20, 21 and 24, but the Red Dragons won the final two points.
 
CNU never trailed in the fourth set and put it away with a pair of 4-0 runs, the second of which gave it a 23-13 lead on a kill by Megan James. A kill by Carpenedo sealed the match.
 
Next for the Captains will be a rematch against Juniata, which defeated CNU 3-1 (25-22, 25-14, 23-25, 25-13) on Sept. 19 in Huntingdon, Pa. Since losing the next day to Johns Hopkins, the Captains have won 19 of their last 21 matches.


CNU Program Record - NCAA Kills (Single Match)
1. 27 -- Alyssa Dozier (vs. Cortland on Nov. 20, 2025 -- 4 sets)
2. 23 -- Katie Piper (vs. Marymount on Nov. 18, 2019 -- 5 sets)
T3. 21 -- Alyssa Dozier (vs. E. Texas Baptist on Nov. 22, 2024 -- 4 sets)
T3. 21 -- Katie Piper (vs. Thomas More on Nov. 9, 2017 -- 5 sets)
T3. 21 -- Caitlyn Jansen (vs. Eastern on Nov. 13, 2010 -- 5 sets)
6. 20 -- Cory Harris (vs. Salisbury on Nov. 14, 2009 -- 5 sets)