Box Score 1 | Box Score 2

ATLANTA, Ga. -- Facing a pair of veteran squads ranked in the top-10 nationally, the 12th-ranked Christopher Newport volleyball team could not quite pull an upset as the youthful Captains came up just short against No. 7 Cal Lutheran, 3-2 (25-20, 20-25, 25-10, 24-26, 15-10) before falling to No. 2 Emory, 3-1 (25-20, 23-25, 25-14, 25-18) on Friday evening at the Woodruff Physical Education Center.

On the first day of the Emory Classic, CNU (6-4) held its own against the top-flight competition. Abby McIntyre posted a pair of double-digit kill efforts and finished the day with a team-high 22 blasts during the two contests. Chastity Lacy and Hannah Miller also added 14 kills and six blocks each, while Rachel Conway dished out 47 assists.

Along the back row, Rachel Close helped stabilize the defense. During the two matches, she collected 42 digs and converted each of her 51 reception attempts. The first-year standout also fired four of the team's 10 aces during the day.

In Friday's first match, Christopher Newport squared off against No. 7 Cal Lutheran (8-1) in another early-season battle featuring a pair of squads from last year's NCAA Tournament. From the outset, the Regals found their footing and stormed out to a 16-11 lead despite a pair of blocks by Lacy.

Following a CNU timeout, the squad tried to regroup but Cal Lutheran kept rolling. The Captains remained successful along the net, including a solo block by Miller and a pair of rockets by McIntyre, but the Regals continued to find an answer. Although a run of CLU miscues and a bullet by Jessie Kolden helped Christopher Newport pull back within two at 22-20, the Regals secured the last three rallies to take a 25-20 victory.

In the second set, the Captains got off to a strong start as Close blasted a pair of early aces and Lacy came through with a solo block on the way to a 7-1 lead. Later, Cal Lutheran whittled its deficit back down to three at 14-11, but Close responded with another ace after Miller added two more daggers to secure a comfortable 19-12 edge heading into a CLU timeout.

Following the stoppage, the Regals made another push to pull back within four, but Christopher Newport continued to hold them at bay. Eventually, two late kills by McIntyre helped give the squad set point before Miller banged home the winner to even the match at one with a 25-20 victory in the second.

Back on even ground, CNU hit a rough patch in the third. Cal Lutheran bolted out to a 10-1 lead despite a pair of timeouts by the Captains. Stung by the early surge, the squad attempted to come back behind two kills by McIntyre and a block and blast from Kolden in the middle of the set. Unfortunately, their efforts did little to stunt the surge as the Regals rolled to a 25-10 victory.

After sustaining a tough blow in the third, CNU showed true resolve in the fourth. Shaking off the setback, the team pulled out to a 5-1 lead in the early part of the frame. Although Cal Lutheran was able to knot the set at seven, the Captains never fell behind. Lacy stepped up in the middle of the stanza with two kills and a pair of blocks on the way to a modest lead at 16-13.

With a fight on its hands, CNU picked up an ace by Paxton Crooks to extend the lead before Cal Lutheran battled back and tied it again at 20. Still unfazed, the squad settled in. Lacy uncorked a kill and ace on the way to set point at 24-22. Although the Regals won the next two rallies, Conway dumped in a shot to regain the lead before a CLU error gave Christopher Newport a 26-24 win.

Entering the fifth and final set, CNU notched early kills by Lacy and Krista Hughes but fell behind 7-5 entering a timeout. Later, McIntyre deposited two blasts and Miller unloaded a rocket to pull back within one at 9-8. Unfortunately, that was as close as the Captains could get. Lacy and Kolden chipped in with kills at the tail end of the frame, but Cal Lutheran capped off the five-set marathon with a 15-10 win in the fifth.

McIntyre finished the contest with a team-high 12 kills, while Lacy added 11 to go along with six blocks. Miller also chucked 10 kills, while Conway and Crooks combined for 40 assists. Conway also ranked second on the squad with four blocks.

After struggling a bit on serve-receive during the early part of the season, the Captains found their rhythm in that area against the Regals. Defensively, the squad converted 99 of its 101 reception attempts, including an impressive 35-for-35 effort by Close. Just as strong at the service line, CNU pumped seven aces, including four by the squad's freshman libero.

Shortly after the grueling five-set battle against Cal Lutheran, the Captains returned to the court for a rematch of the 2012 NCAA Regional Championship against No. 2 Emory (9-0). Despite the short break, CNU battled to a 9-9 draw in the early going, including a pair of blocks by Hughes. Later, an ace by Kolden and a kill by Miller gave Christopher Newport a brief 13-12 edge.

Battling back and forth, the two teams remained close with CNU eventually extending its lead to two after another Kolden kill and a third block by Hughes. Unfortunately, after grabbing a 19-17 edge, the visitors could not close out the frame. Eventually, Emory ripped off seven straight winners to earn set-point at 24-19. Although Briana Sutton came through with a kill to keep the set alive, the Eagles answered on the very next rally to close out the frame, 25-20.

The second set played much like the first as the two teams traded blows. Miller chipped in with two blocks and a kill during the early going before Kolden added a pair of rockets on the way to an 11-9 lead. Later, McIntyre punched her second kill of the set while Lacy smacked an ace to sustain a one-point advantage at 13-12.

Although the hosts responded and eventually secured a modest two-point lead, the Captains never relented. Lacy, McIntyre, and Ashley Rock all added darts in the waning moments of the frame to grab set-point at 24-23. Wasting no time, McIntyre added the final nail with another bullet on the very next rally to cap off the frame, 25-23.

With the match even at one set apiece, Emory put its veteran experience to good use and rallied late to outlast the Captains. In the third stanza, the hosts jumped out to a 12-4 lead. Although Rock snapped the streak with a shot following an assist by Conway, CNU could not piece together a sustained run. Miller and Maddie McCann tried to keep the visitors close with two kills apiece during the last half of the set, but the Eagles withstood the surge on the way to a 25-14 victory.

One set away from the win, Emory looked just as strong in the final frame. Although Lacy and Chance Rye combined for four kills during the early part of the fourth, the hosts vaulted out to a 14-8 advantage. Once again, CNU continued to battle and the young roster showed grit well beyond its years, but the squad's effort fell short. Sutton eventually punched three late kills to highlight the match's final moments before the Eagles iced the contest with a 25-18 win.

During the bout, McIntyre led the way with 10 kills, while Kolden finished with nine to go along with seven digs. Close also secured 20 digs, and Brooke Moore came through with 10. Conway helped pace the offense with 25 assists, while Miller led the way along the net with four blocks. Hughes also had three stops for the Captains.

Christopher Newport will return to action tomorrow with a doubleheader on the final day of the Emory Classic. CNU will open up against Southwestern at noon before battling Millsaps at 2:30 p.m.

---CNU---