Box Score 1 | Box Score 2

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – The Christopher Newport volleyball team split a pair of matches on Saturday afternoon but remained undefeated in Capital Athletic Conference action as the Captains took down York, 3-0 (25-16, 25-11, 25-21) before falling to non-conference foe Washington & Lee, 3-1 (25-18, 25-23, 22-25, 25-19) during a tri-match at the Freeman Center.

During the two contests, Jessie Kolden and Hannah Miller each unloaded 22 kills, while Rachel Conway had 44 assists. Chastity Lacy also made her presence felt on the defensive end with a team-high nine blocks, and Miller added seven rejections to cap off a well-rounded afternoon.

Brooke Moore also shined along the back row, securing 30 digs, including an acrobatic one during a crucial moment in the nightcap. The junior libero also was a perfect 40-for-40 on reception attempts on Saturday.

With the split, Christopher Newport moves to 19-12 on the year, including 6-0 in league matches. York now stands at 15-14 overall and 2-4 in the CAC, while Washington & Lee is 24-6.

Entering the weekend on a seven-match winning streak, the Captains continued their roll after jumping on the Spartans quickly. Lacy blasted three early kills before taking over at the service line. Keeping York off balance, she helped CNU rip off seven straight points, including a block and blast by Kolden, to secure a huge 17-7 advantage.

With more than enough breathing room, Christopher Newport eased into the first-set victory. Briana Sutton unloaded a pair of bullets, while Moore launched an ace to cap off the frame, 25-16.

The second set was a little more evenly matched in the beginning, but the Captains soon asserted themselves at the service line once again. Moore and Conway each chucked aces before Kolden smacked a pair of kills to push the lead to 10-6. Later, Evelyn Harper came through with another ace to help nudge the lead to seven at 16-9.

Controlling the momentum, the Captains picked up kills from Miller and Sutton before a string of York errors helped cap off the frame. Lacy and Krista Hughes teamed up on a block to stifle one Spartan attack before two more YC attempts went long. Holding set-point at 24-11, Kolden added the final punctuation mark with a bolt to cap off the 25-11 victory.

Looking to close out the match quickly, CNU used stellar defense to win the third. Lacy came through with two early blocks, while Sutton, Miller, and Kolden all assisted on rejections to earn a 9-5 lead. Although the Spartans battled back and knotted the frame at 12, they could never pull ahead as the Captains continued to land blows during the latter half of the set.

Lacy teamed up with Maddie McCann on another block before Miller chipped in with a solo stop to grab a 22-16 lead after York's second timeout of the set. Following her defensive efforts, Miller showed off her offensive chops with two late kills before Conway added the clincher to close out the contest with a 25-21 win in the third.

Miller finished the bout with a match-high 11 kills while hitting at a .318 clip. Kolden and Sutton also came through with eight kills apiece, and Conway had 19 assists. On the defensive end, Moore collected 11 digs and Lacy posted four blocks.

Despite the strong showing in the opener, the Captains could not keep their run going against Washington & Lee. Although CNU upended the Generals in September, Saturday proved to be a struggle. The visitors ran out to a 10-4 lead before Lacy snapped the streak with a blast. Later, Miller added a block and kill, while Lacy teamed up with Sutton on another rejection, but W&L never relented. Two kills by Kolden kept Christopher Newport in the set near the end, but the Generals eventually walked away with a 25-18 victory.

With an early advantage, Washington & Lee tore out to a quick lead in the second set before CNU battled back. Capitalizing on a dazzling defensive effort, the Captains picked up three blocks from both Conway and Lacy to pull within one at 19-18. Later, Miller added a pair of blows to keep the deficit at one, but after a W&L timeout, the Generals stole the last two rallies to grab a 25-23 win.

Staring at a two-set deficit, the Captains showed resiliency in the third. Sutton led the resurgence with five early kills, while Conway and Lacy joined forces on another rejection to secure a 13-9 advantage. Later, Lacy blasted a bullet and Miller came through with back-to-back tracers on the way to an 18-14 lead and a Washington & Lee timeout.

Hoping to break up CNU's run, the Generals had little success as Kolden jerked a pair of kills before Lacy and Hughes added one each to earn set-point at 24-20. Despite a momentary rally by the Generals, Kolden added the capper with another rocket to seal the 25-22 victory.

Back in the match, the Captains kept the Generals close in the third. Sutton came out with two shots, while Miller and Kolden each added a kill and block to remain within striking distance at 11-10. Unfortunately, Washington & Lee bounced back. The visitors eventually pushed their lead to five at 18-13 before Lacy did some damage with two kills. Conway also added a gorgeous dump shot that caught W&L by surprise, but the Generals responded and won the match with a 25-19 victory in the fourth.

Kolden posted a double-double for the Captains with 14 kills and 14 digs, while Sutton and Miller each added 11 kills. Moore paced CNU with 19 digs, and Rachel Close also chipped in with 10 against the Generals. Lacy did the most damage along the net with five blocks, while Conway and Miller each tallied four.

Christopher Newport will be back in action on Wednesday when the squad continues its homestand with a 7 p.m. showdown with Mary Washington.

---CNU---