LEXINGTON, Ky. -- Powered by an impressive postseason run that included a second straight conference title and an appearance in the NCAA Regional Championship, the Christopher Newport volleyball team concluded the 2025 season ranked No. 18 in the final coaches poll of the season released by the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA). The final AVCA/TARAFLEX Division III Women's Volleyball rankings were released on Tuesday and CNU registered the highest final ranking in a season since finishing the 2014 campaign ranked No. 14 in nation. 

Christopher Newport logged an overall record of 26-8 for the highest team winning percentage since 2018. CNU was ranked as high as No. 21 in the regular season this season before closing out the year with the highest national ranking since being pegged No. 14 on September 3, 2019. 

CNU took on six teams ranked in the final top 25 including closing out the season in the NCAA regional title game against No. 3 Berry College. The Captains advanced to face the Vikings when they snapped Juniata's 19-game postseason winning streak in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. The Eagles finished out the year ranked No. 17 in the final poll. 

During the season, the Captains were led by one of the most potent offenses in the nation as CNU ranked No. 10 in Division III hitting percentage (.253). Christopher Newport ranked in the top-20 in assists and kills while powered by a pair of All-American standouts in senior middle blocker Alyssa Dozier and rookie setter Fielding Croft. 

Dozier capped one of the most decorated careers in program history with a first team All-American certificate and her third career selection among the nation's top players. She was named the AVCA Region Player of the Year as well as the Coast-To-Coast Athletic Conference Offensive Player of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year, and Scholar-Athlete of the Year. In CNU lore, she is the all-time leader in career blocks (490), fourth in career kills (1,368), and fourth in attack percentage (.324). This season, her 406 kills were the most in a season since 2012 and rank in the top-ten all-time at CNU while becoming just the third player in program history to hit over .400 for a single season with a .402 mark. 

She was on the receiving end of passes from rookie sensation Fielding Croft, who earned third team AVCA All-American plaudits. Also named the AVCA Region Rookie of the Year, Croft was first team All-Conference and the Conference Rookie of the Year as well. After just one season, Croft has already cruised up the all-time assists chart at CNU with 1,076 in her first year. She now ranks 13th all-time at CNU and is one of only 14 players to log over a thousand assists in her career. The CNU rookie ranked in the top-25 nationally in total assists and was fifth among freshmen in Division III. 

The Captains also featured two more first team All-Conference selections in juniors Samantha Dorn and Maddie Hanes. Earning All-Tournament accolades were Emmy Carpenedo and C2C Tournament MVP Simara Alexander. 

Led by head coach Lindsay Birch, the Captains closed out the year winning 18 of their final 20 matches. In the Coast-To-Coast Athletic Conference Tournament, CNU entered as the #2 seed and defeated UC Santa Cruz, 3-0, in the semifinals, before capturing the conference crown with a 3-0 win against Salisbury. The Captains extended one of the longest active NCAA Tournament streaks in Division III with the team's 18th straight postseason appearance. In the Regional, CNU defeated Cortland, 3-0, in the opening round before toppling No. 8 Juniata, 3-0, in the regional semifinals. 
 

Dec. 9 AVCA/TARAFLEX Division III WVB Final Poll

Rank	School (First-Place Votes Adjusted)	Total Points Adjusted	Record	Previous Week
1	Wisconsin-Oshkosh [86]	2,150	34-3	3
2	La Verne	2,064	30-3	5
3	Berry	1,905	28-8	16
4	Trinity (TX)	1,861	26-6	11
5	East Texas Baptist	1,817	34-1	1
6	Wisconsin-Eau Claire	1,720	30-5	4
7	Colby	1,625	26-4	7
8	Calvin	1,509	28-4	19
9	Illinois Wesleyan	1,451	28-3	2
10	Johns Hopkins	1,275	27-5	6
11	MIT	1,191	29-4	9
12	Tufts	1,071	24-6	14
13	Wesleyan (CT)	1,000	22-4	17
14	Carnegie-Mellon	955	26-9	23
15	Washington-St. Louis	879	24-9	21
16	Hope	844	23-7	10
17	Juniata	769	28-6	8
18	Christopher Newport	698	26-8	RV
19	Ithaca	633	27-5	12
20	Wisconsin-Whitewater	600	26-8	13
21	Virginia Wesleyan	449	32-3	15
22	Emory	366	20-8	18
23	Dubuque	279	26-5	22
T-24	Gustavus Adolphus	193	24-8	25
T-24	St. Olaf	193	27-9	RV

Others receiving votes and listed on two or more ballots: Claremont-Mudd-Scripps 106; St John Fisher 77; Babson 74; Wittenberg 48; Kean 35; Lynchburg 25; Salisbury 25; Otterbein 20; Franklin & Marshall 13; William Smith College 10; Northwestern (MN) 9; Colorado College 2