Box Score 1 | Box Score 2

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – Making the squad's first appearance at home in nearly a month, the 19th-ranked Christopher Newport volleyball team could not quite overcome its top-flight competition as the Captains fell to No. 7 Juniata, 3-0 (25-21, 25-23, 25-23) before stumbling against No. 17 Wisconsin-Whitewater, 3-0 (25-23, 25-20, 25-15) during a daunting doubleheader on Friday evening at the Freeman Center.

During the two matches, Chastity Lacy was a force along the net, collecting 11 blocks, including six in the nightcap against the Warhawks. Abby McIntyre also led the team with 14 kills and three aces, while Rachel Conway chipped in with a team-high 24 assists to go along with three blocks.

With the setbacks, Christopher Newport falls to 9-9 on the year. The victory in the opener bumped Juniata to 14-0, while Wisconsin-Whitewater sits at 15-4 following a pair of wins on Friday.

Although the day did not end well for the Captains, the team got off to a promising start in the first set against Juniata. During the opening frame, the hosts stormed out to a 14-11 lead, highlighted by three consecutive aces by McIntyre. Unfortunately, an Eagle timeout swung the momentum as the visitors snatched the next three rallies to knot the set at 14.

Hannah Miller momentarily snapped JC's streak with a bullet, but the Eagles never stumbled. Eventually, Juniata pieced together a seven-point run to earn an imposing 21-15 lead. Refusing to go down quietly, Lacy and Maddie McCann joined forces on back-to-back blocks, but their efforts fell short as the Eagles took the first frame, 25-21.

The second set was a back-and-forth affair from the beginning. Jessie Kolden found a groove with three quick kills, while McIntyre added a pair of darts on the way to a 13-13 deadlock. Later, McIntyre chipped in with two more kills before Miller fired a rocket that gave Christopher Newport a late edge at 21-20.

Despite the modest lead, the Captains came up just short in the end as Juniata won five of the last seven rallies, including an ace and kill by Amelia Kepler, to earn a 25-23 victory.

Trailing by two sets, Christopher Newport fought hard in the early part of the third. Cleaning up along the net, Miller slammed the door with a sensational solo stop before Lacy added a pair of blocks on the way to a 10-3 lead. Later, although Juniata made a decent run in the middle of the frame, kills by McIntyre, Conway, and Miller helped the hosts sustain a four-point lead at 17-13.

Once again, the Eagles rebounded following a stoppage. After whistling for a timeout, the visitors snatched six of the next seven rallies to retake the lead at 19-18. Although Lacy broke the run with a block and later added a pair of kills, Juniata continued to find an answer. Eventually, JC ripped off the final four winners to secure the sweep with a 25-23 win in the third.

During the match, McIntyre had nine kills and seven digs, while Conway had 13 assists and two blocks. Rachel Close also came through with her fourth 20-dig effort of the season, while Paxton Crooks just missed a double-double with nine digs and nine helpers.

After a tough break in the opening contest, the Captains returned to the court in front of a boisterous crowd and a lively pep band for the nightcap against Wisconsin-Whitewater. With the fans providing nice support, CNU rolled out to a 6-1 lead, including a block and two kills by Kolden. Later, Lacy came through with her second stop of the stanza, while Briana Sutton unloaded a laser to keep a three-point advantage at 8-5.

Unfortunately, the Warhawks found their footing in the middle of the set. Despite a combo block by Kolden and Lacy and back-to-back bullets by Sutton and McIntyre, the visitors retaliated and grabbed an 18-16 edge. Following a CNU timeout, the Captains took the lead back behind two kills by Miller and a blistering ace by Brooke Moore. However, UW-W had a little left in the tank and captured three of the final four points to steal a 25-23 victory.

Following a nice run at the end of the first set, the Warhawks kept the momentum in the beginning of the second on the way to an 8-6 lead. Showing resolve, the Captains battled back and picked up a block and ace by Lacy and a pair of tracers by Sutton to pull within one at 14-13. Sadly, that was as close as the squad could come. Sutton came back with another kill at the tail end of the stanza, but the visitors inched away and clinched a 25-20 win.

Staring at another two-set deficit, Christopher Newport had a brief run in the beginning of the third, highlighted by an ace by Close and kills from Conway and Lacy. Unfortunately, Wisconsin-Whitewater was unfazed. Lacy continued to do damage with a blast and two more rejections, but Kristen Ruchti set the tone for the visitors with three consecutive blocks in the middle of the frame to send the Warhawks to a 25-15 win.

Lacy, McIntyre, and Sutton all had five kills for the Captains, while Kolden had four to go along with three blocks. Close anchored the back row with 14 digs and a pair of aces. Moore also laced two winners for CNU.

Christopher Newport will return to the court tomorrow for the final day of the CNU Invitational. The Captains will open up against Scranton at noon before battling No. 15 Eastern at 4:30 p.m.

---CNU---