FREDERICKSBURG, Va. -- The 10th-ranked Christopher Newport volleyball team claimed its second straight regular season Capital Athletic Conference Championship after the Captains stormed past Mary Washington, 3-0 (25-15, 25-18, 26-24), on Thursday evening at the Anderson Center.

With one match remaining in the regular season, CNU locked up the crown after improving to 8-0 in the CAC and 28-3 overall. Dating back to the program's time in the USA South, Christopher Newport has now secured at least a share of 11 consecutive regular season championships. The Captains have also won 135 straight regular season conference matches since 2006.

On Thursday, the Captains pieced together a well-balanced effort as Briana Sutton and Hannah Miller both roped seven kills, while Eliza Fisher had five on nine swings. Krista Hughes also collected four kills on six attempts to go along with two blocks. Rachel Conway helped pace the attack with 21 assists in addition to six digs, four kills, and an ace.

On the defensive end, Abby McIntyre and Brooke Moore kept the court clean with 10 digs apiece. In addition to Hughes' two rejections, Fisher and Miller also chipped in with a pair. Guided by their efforts, the Captains held the Eagles to an .055 hitting percentage during the match.

With the setback, Mary Washington now sits at 21-10 on the season, including 5-3 in the CAC. UMW is currently fourth in the conference standings.

Although the Captains stumbled a bit early in the match and found themselves staring at a 6-2 deficit, the squad quickly began to dig out of the hole. McCann had a huge solo block to help kick start the rally before Hughes pumped a pair of kills to snatch a modest 11-9 lead heading into a Mary Washington timeout.

The stoppage did nothing to halt CNU's resurgence as the team quickly put the set away. Guided by Moore's prowess at the serving line, the Captains kept Mary Washington's defense off-balance. Moore eventually slung an ace, while Fisher and Sutton each added darts. The visitors also benefited from a little luck and some heads-up work on the back row. Following a bullet by the Eagles, McIntyre made a great play to control the ball before Moore kept it alive with another touch. Still loose, Conway sprinted back and dug the ricochet over her head and dropped the ball perfectly over the net to catch the Eagles off-guard and win the rally.

Leading 17-10, Christopher Newport eased into the victory. Miller destroyed back-to-back kills before Sutton and Conway also landed blows for a 23-13 lead. Two rallies later, McCann painted the back corner with a dart before a UMW miscue iced the 25-15 victory.

Similar to the first frame, the Captains fell behind early in the second before battling back. Following a CNU timeout, the visitors whittled away at their five-point deficit. Conway got things rolling with a kill before Miller hit the Eagles with a blast and ace on back-to-back rallies. Later, Hughes dropped in a kill to help Christopher Newport pull back within four at 13-9.

Needing another mid-set surge, the squad turned back to Moore, who took control at the service line once again. The senior libero peppered an ace and continued to frustrate the Eagle defense. Sutton also rolled a pair of kills off the UMW block, while Fisher teamed with Miller on a back-breaking rejection, which helped turn the momentum and gave CNU an 18-13 lead.

Although the Eagles managed to steal a few points during the waning moments of the stanza, CNU never let them back into the game. Miller slammed another kill and Sutton stung an ace before Jessie Kolden floated in a kill with a perfectly-placed back-row attack. Holding set-point, the Captains benefited from a late UMW error to lock up the second, 25-18.

Looking for a quick resolution to the match, CNU managed to take a fast 10-4 lead in the third behind aces by Fisher and Conway and back-to-back rockets by Sutton and Miller. Still in control, Christopher Newport pushed the advantage to 15-7 after McIntyre blistered an ace and Hughes contributed a block and blast. Later, Miller and McIntyre came back with a pair of daggers, but the Eagles began to find their footing.

Although Hughes came through with a solo block and McCann pummeled a kill, Mary Washington was able to pull back within three at 23-20. Fisher quickly put an end to the streak with a laser to earn match-point, but the hosts won four straight rallies to even the score at 24.

On their heels, the Captains showed true grit as the squad dug in and responded. Sutton kicked off the late push after tattooing an Eagle defender with a bullet off an overpass. Holding match-point once again, Miller put an end to the action as she stoned Mary Washington's last-ditch effort to close out the frame, 26-24.

Along with Moore's performance on the defensive end, she also contributed four assists and two aces. Overall, the Captains drilled seven aces and helped quiet the Eagles on serve-receive. Mary Washington entered the match with a league-high 325 aces, but CNU held them to just six on Thursday. Sutton was a perfect six-for-six on receptions, while Moore converted 11 of her 13 attempts. Rachel Close was five-for-six as well.

Christopher Newport will return to action on Saturday when the Captains wrap up the regular season with a noon battle at York (Pa.).

---CNU---