Several CAC Teams and Individuals to Compete For NCAA Championships This Weekend
NCAA postseason play continues this weekend for a number of CAC teams and individuals. National champions will be crowned in cross country, field hockey and volleyball, while men's soccer enters the Sweet 16 and Elite 8 rounds over the course of the weekend.
Below is a complete preview of this weekend's action:
VOLLEYBALL ELITE 8 | Newport News, Va. | Bracket | Video | Live Stats
Ninth-ranked Christopher Newport hosts top-ranked and defending national champion Calvin in Friday's night's quarterfinals at 8 p.m. at the Freeman Center. CNU enters the match riding a 16-match winning streak, while Calvin also boasts an impressive streak with 17-straight victories. The Captains dropped just one set in their run to the regional title last weekend. All four of Friday's quarterfinals will be held at the Freeman Center, beginning at 12:30 p.m.
FIELD HOCKEY FINAL FOUR | Lexington, Va. | Bracket | Video | Live Stats
Saturday's first NCAA field hockey semifinals features a rematch of last year's title game, as top-ranked Salisbury will be looking to avenge a 1-0 defeat to Bowdoin in the 2013 NCAA Championship game. The Sea Gulls posted a pair of shutout victories in the Sweet 16 and Elite 8 to advance to the Final Four for the second straight year and ninth time in school history. Salisbury enters the showdown riding a 10-game winning streak.
WOMEN'S CROSS COUNTRY NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS | Saturday, Nov. 22 | Mason, Ohio | 12:30 p.m. | NCAA Championship Homepage
Three individuals and one team will represent the CAC at the 2014 NCAA Cross Country Championships, set for Saturday at the Golf Center at Kings Island in Mason, Ohio. The Christopher Newport women's team became the first team in conference history to qualify for a national championship meet following last weekend's second-place finish at the South/Southeast Regional. The Mary Washington duo of Teagan Young and Lauren Braney will represent the Eagles in the meet, while York's Jess Miller will compete at nationals for the second straight year. Young is fresh off claiming the individual title at the South/Southeast Regional. Miller finished 140th out of 280 competitors at last year's national championship meet.
MEN'S SOCCER SWEET 16 | Gambier, Ohio | Bracket | Video | Live Stats
After a pair of wins in the first weekend of the NCAA Tournament, 17th-ranked Christopher Newport earned a trip to the NCAA Sectional Round, and will face off against 12th-ranked Whitworth (17-1-3). The Captains (18-3-4) will take on the Pirates on a neutral field on the campus of Kenyon. CNU is making its fourth appearance in the NCAA Sweet 16, with the last coming in 2009. The Captains advanced with a 1-0 win over Lynchburg in the opening round, followed up by a thrilling come-from-behind win over Stevens, 4-2, in the second round. Whitworth enters Saturday's contest with a 10-game winning streak, including shutout wins over Covenant (1-0) and Berry (2-0) in the NCAA Tournament.