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ATLANTA, Ga. -- The 12th-ranked Christopher Newport volleyball team dropped its first contest on Saturday to Southwestern, 3-1 (23-25, 25-21, 25-23, 25-14) but rebounded in emphatic fashion and swept Millsaps, 3-0 (25-17, 25-20, 25-23), to wrap up the weekend at the Emory Classic in the Woodruff Physical Education Center.

During the two contests, Chastity Lacy, who earned a spot on the All-Tournament team, led the Captains with 22 kills while hitting at a .314 clip. The senior also unleashed three aces and added 10 blocks in a well-rounded performance. Assisting the veteran, freshman Hannah Miller compiled 18 kills and five stops, while Abby McIntyre collected 17 digs and 14 kills on Saturday.

The split moves Christopher Newport to 7-5 on the season, while Southwestern sits at 8-4 and lurks just outside of the AVCA Top-25. Millsaps is 7-6 following a pair of losses on Saturday.

Following the 3-1 setback in the opener against Southwestern, the Captains quickly snapped their three-match skid against the Majors in the nightcap. With little break between contests, CNU entered a seesaw affair with Millsaps during the early part of the first set. Battling back and forth, Christopher Newport picked up two kills and an ace by McIntyre on the way to an 11-11 deadlock.

After Briana Sutton broke the tie with two straight kills, Lacy smacked back-to-back aces to secure a 17-11 edge. Although Millsaps retaliated and chopped its deficit back down to five, Christopher Newport remained in charge. Eventually Miller ripped a shot and McIntyre slammed the door with a solo block before Jessie Kolden uncorked a kill to ice the first frame, 25-17.

In the second set, the Majors found a rhythm early and pulled out to an 11-6 advantage. Unflinchingly confident, the Captains retaliated. With Rachel Conway at the service line, CNU ripped off 11 straight winners, including four kills and a block by Lacy to snatch a 17-11 lead. Although Millsaps continued to battle, the squad could never regain its footing.

Sutton used a dart to snap a three-point run by Millsaps before Lacy added two more kills on the way to set-point at 24-19. Although MC kept the set alive for an extra rally, Lacy put an end to the stanza with one last laser to cap off a 25-20 victory.

Staring at a two-set deficit, the Majors traded blows with CNU during the early part of the final frame. Miller and McIntyre combined for four kills during the opening moments of the set, but the two squads found themselves knotted at 12. Later, Miller broke the tie with a block before Conway came back with a stop and kill on the way to a modest 19-16 lead.

With the match slowly slipping away, Millsaps won six of the next seven rallies to take a two-point advantage at 22-20. Unimpressed, CNU shot back. Once again, Miller broke the streak with a kill before McIntyre unloaded an ace. Capping off the match in style, Miller returned with another blast before an MC miscue gave the Captains a 25-23 victory.

Overall, Lacy finished with a team-high 12 kills to go along with a .435 hitting percentage. Sutton added eight blasts, while Miller had seven to go along with three blocks. Conway paced the squad with 19 assists, while Paxton Crooks had 15.

Brooke Moore led the defense with 13 digs against the Majors. Kolden also scooped up seven and recorded a pair of blocks as well.

Before ending the day with an impressive showing against Millsaps, the Captains got off to a good start against Southwestern in the first match before stumbling in the end. At the beginning of the first frame, CNU held it close and trailed by only one after three kills by McIntyre and two by Miller whittled the deficit down to 10-9.

Although Southwestern was able to regain a three-point edge, Lacy went off. The senior bashed four kills during a solid run that kept the Captains within striking distance. Later, McIntyre and Kolden added shots before a run of Pirate blunders knotted the score at 22. With a victory within reach, Kolden and Lacy teamed up on a pair of blocks to stun Southwestern, 25-23.

Riding a nice wave of momentum, Christopher Newport started strong in the second. Miller pumped three quick kills, while Lacy matched that effort and chipped in with two blocks as well on the way to an 18-13 lead. Unfortunately, the Pirates took control from there. The squad won seven of the next eight rallies on the way to a 20-19 lead. Although Miller added another kill to retie the set, Southwestern used one last surge to steal a 25-21 win.

On even ground, the Pirates pulled away. Despite three quick kills by McIntyre, SU rolled out to an 11-9 lead in the third. Later, Lacy and McIntyre clocked aces to chip the deficit down to one before Conway and Lacy added back-to-back blasts to even the score at 19. From there, Southwestern took over. The team snapped the deadlock with a two-point surge and never lost control on the way to a 25-23 win.

With the momentum firmly planted on the Pirate side, the Captains could do little in the final frame. Miller posted an early block, while Crooks and Kolden chipped in with kills, but Southwestern stormed out to a 17-6 lead. Although CNU continued to battle and Sutton came through with two late rockets, Southwestern capped off the match with a 25-14 win in the fourth.

Miller led the team with 11 kills, while Lacy notched 10 to go along with seven blocks. Rachel Close anchored the back line with 21 digs. Moore also had 14 digs, while Kolden and McIntyre had 12 apiece.

Christopher Newport will return to action next Friday for the beginning of the Gargoyle Classic in Chicago. The Captains will open up against Benedictine at 6 p.m. before squaring off with the University of Chicago at 8 p.m.

---CNU---