WAYNE, N.J. -- Kicking off a run of 14 straight matches away from home, the nationally-ranked Christopher Newport volleyball team is headed to New Jersey this weekend for three matches. The Captains (2-2), ranked No. 22 in this week's AVCA/Taraflex Division III Coaches' Poll, will face William Smith College at 2:00 p.m. on Friday before facing the hosts from William Paterson University at 4:00 p.m. On Saturday, CNU will round out the weekend on Saturday at 11:00 a.m. versus Centenary (N.J.).
Matches against William Smith and Centenary will be the first ever appearance in the all-time series against Chistopher Newport. CNU will be taking on William Paterson for the fourth time after winning the first three matches over the last two seasons. The Pioneers are receiving votes in the national poll and enter the weekend with a 3-2 overall record.
Christopher Newport opened the season with a 3-0 win against Regent before toppling No. 25 NYU with a 3-1 win at the Captains Cassic. CNU then suffered a pair of 3-0 losses to No. 12 Juniata and No. 7 UW-Eau Claire. Centenary is 1-0 and William Smith has posted a 2-1 overall record heading into the William Paterson tournament.
Live stats and a live video webcast will be available for all three matches this weekend. Links can be found on the women's volleyball schedule at CNUsports.com.
The Captains have been led defensively by senior
Maddie Hanes, who ranks in the top-50 nationally amongst active NCAA Division III players in career digs with 1,042. This season, she leads a defense averaging 13.2 digs per set with a team-high 3.54 so far, including 46 total digs.
On the offensive side of the ball, the Captains have spread the ball around with six different players recording 10 or more kills through the first four matches.
Alli Pratt (33) and
Avery Hanly (29) lead the way while freshman
Jasmine Williams (24) is third on the list. Pratt is hitting .325 with a hot start to the season while setter
Fielding Croft is dropping in at a .364 clip with nine kills and a team-high 104 assists.
William Smith will counter the Captains with Cassidy Breuer serving as the focal point of the Herons offense. Breuer has 49 kills and is coming off a 19-kill performance against Wesleyan (CT) on Sunday. The William Paterson lineup is led by Emeli Giesler and Makayda Aldrich with 33 and 27 kills, respectively. Sara Rogers and Abby Houpt run the offense with a combined 117 assists. Centenary has played just one match but earned a 3-0 win behind a nine-kill showing by Poppy Skjonnemand.
Christopher Newport will stay on the road for a month as they will head to Texas next weekend to face McMurry University, East Texas Baptist, and Hendrix on September 18-19.
