NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- In a star-studded schedule that features four top-25 teams facing off at the Freeman Center this weekend, the 19th-ranked Christopher Newport volleyball team will welcome some of the nation's elite to campus for a two-day twournament at the Captains Classic. On Friday, September 4, action begins as CNU takes on No. 25 NYU at 3:00 p.m. to kickstart the six-match season-opening weekend. 

In addition to the Violets, the Captains will also host No. 12 Juniata and No. 7 Wisconsin Eau Claire for the Captains Classic tournament. The complete schedule is:

Friday, September 4
3:00 p.m. - No. 25 New York University at No. 19 Christopher Newport University
5:30 p.m. - No. 25 New York University vs. No. 7 University of Wisconsin Eau Claire
8:00 p.m. - No. 12 Juniata College at No. 19 Christopher Newport University

Saturday, September 5
11:30 a.m. - No. 12 Juniata College vs. No. 25 New York University
2:00 p.m. - No. 7 University of Wisconsin Eau Claire at No. 19 Christopher Newport University
4:30 p.m. - No. 12 Juniata College vs. No. 7 University of Wisconsin Eau Claire

One of the most potent tournament fields in the nation this season, fans will be treated to some of the best Division III volleyball of the year with free admission to the Freeman Center. For fans unable to attend, all six matches will feature live stats and live video webcasts at CNUsports.com.

The Captains opened the season with a 3-0 win over Regent University on Tuesday night and are 1-0 heading into the weekend. NYU is also 1-0 after a 3-1 victory against Ramapo while both Juniata and Eau Claire will be opening the season in Newport News.

The all-time series for Christopher Newport against the three opponents this weekend include a 3-1 mark against NYU with the last matchup coming on the road last season where the Captains earned a hard-fought 3-2 win. CNU dropped the lone matchup ever against the Blugolds of UW Eau Claire with a 3-1 setback in 2019, and the Captains are most familiar with Juniata with a 6-16 all-time record against the Eagles. Last year, CNU snapped a six-match losing streak to Juniata by posting a 3-0 win in the NCAA Tournament second round on a neutral floor. 

In the win against Regent, senior Maddie Hanes made history by recording her 1,000th career dig. She ranks fourth all-time at Christopher Newport with 3.71 digs per set and has piled up 441 digs at CNU after starting her career with 562 at Virginia Wesleyan (now Batten). She recorded 13 digs against the Royals and was team der a year ago when she appeared in all 34 matches for the Captains and led the team in sets played with 116. 

The Captains also were led at setter by sophomore All-American Fielding Croft, who piled up 23 assists in the win on Tuesday. She eclipsed 1,000 assists in her first year and has already climbed to 13th all-time at CNU while ranking third in assists per set behind only Hall of Famer Brittany Collins (10.01) and All-American Sammy Carroll (9.86). 

For NYU, the Violets are led by head coach Andrew Brown in his ninth year. He returns All-American Grace Nelson and All-Conference selection Coco Barton to lead the way as Nelson finished the 2025 campaign with a team-high 272 kills and 62 aces. Barton hit .290 and started all 31 matches in her junior season and was an honorable mention All-Regoin pick. In Tuesday's win, Barton hit .647 with 12 kills and added seven digs for the Violets. 

Juniata enters the weekend having lost just nine matches in the last five seasons while posting an overall record of 164-9 for a winning percentage of nearly 95 percent. The Eagles won three straight NCAA Division III Championships before the Captains dashed their hopes of a four-peat in last year's postseason event. Juniata returns four All-Americans this season including second team pick Molly Mishinkash, who hit .415 with 300 kills, 86 blocks, 34 digs, and14 aces. Senior Ava Gummer, with 230 kills, and Landmark Rookie of the  Year Liz Cleveland also earned honorable mention All-America plaudits alongside junior Isabella Rushing.

UW Eau Claire is equally talented despite graduating the two All-Americans from their squad a year ago that helped lead the Blugolds to the NCAA National Quarterfinals. Leading the team this year will be sophomore Alex Kiebel after earning AVCA Region Rookie of the Year honors in 2025. She ranked in the top-40 nationally in total assists with over 1,000 in her freshman campaign. The Blugolds were 30-5 a year ago and also return Mya Cinnamo, who hit .215 with 339 total kills, and Kaitlyn Erickson, who picked up over 500 digs. 

The Captains will hit the road for 14 in a row following the massive opening weekend at the Freeman Center. The next matchup following Saturday will be in New Jersey as CNU is scheduled to face William Smith College and host William Paterson University on Friday, September 11.