NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- For the fifth time in six seasons, the Christopher Newport volleyball team will head to the NCAA National Championships after the ninth-ranked Captains stormed past No. 13 Eastern, 3-0 (25-18, 25-23, 25-17), to capture the Newport News Regional Title with a dominating performance on Sunday evening at the Freeman Center.

Hannah Miller, who earned AVCA National Player of the Week accolades for her performance against Eastern during the regular season, continued her dominance on Sunday. Peppering the Eagles, she finished with 12 kills to go along with a .455 hitting percentage. She also added four blocks on the defensive end. For her efforts during the weekend, she was honored as the Regional MVP.

Along with Miller, Rachel Conway dished out 27 assists and added five blocks while earning All-Tournament accolades. Briana Sutton also drilled 10 kills and chipped in with the championship-clinching ace, while Brooke Moore and Rachel Close were game-changers on the back row. Moore finished with a team-high 17 digs and Close pocketed 12 while going a perfect seven-for-seven on serve-receive.

With the victory, the Captains improve to 34-3 on the season and bump their winning streak to 16 straight. Back on their home floor for the Nationals on Friday, the squad will open up against No. 1 Calvin at 8 p.m.

Supported by a boisterous crowd and an energetic student section, Christopher Newport made an early statement and jumped on the Eagles in the first. Miller got off to a great start with three quick kills and a block, while Close spun an ace to snatch an 8-3 lead. Later, after Sutton pummeled the visitors with a rocket and Conway hammered an ace off an Eagle defender, the visitors were forced to call a timeout staring at a 10-5 deficit.

Although the stoppage paid immediate dividends for EU and turned the momentum around for a moment, CNU kept battling. Ashley Rock floated a well-placed roller to the back corner for a kill before the defense stepped up with a magnificent play. Off a bullet by the Eagles, Moore hustled to the end line to save the rally with a tremendous dig. After Miller got a touch to keep the ball up, Conway flipped it over her head, which caught the visitors off-guard and eventually led to an error that got the crowd jumping and gave CNU a 13-11 lead.

Despite the heads-up play, the Captains stumbled a bit and eventually found themselves staring at a 14-13 deficit heading into a timeout. Following the break, Christopher Newport went off. Moore eventually took over at the service line and got the Eagles on their heels with a flurry of spot-on serves, while Rock added two blocks and a kill. Sutton also nailed a pair of darts and both Close and Abby McIntyre helped keep the floor clean on the back row to headline a seven-point streak, which gave the Captains a 21-15 lead.

With the pressure firmly planted on the Eastern side of the net, Christopher Newport took advantage and eased into the victory. The Eagles committed three straight errors, including a huge block by Rock and Eliza Fisher, which gave CNU set-point at 24-17. Two rallies later, Sutton added the final nail as the strong-armed sophomore blasted a shot off the top of her blocker's head to seal the 25-18 victory.

Needing to carry the momentum over into the second, Rock got things going with an ace and kill on back-to-back rallies. Later, Sutton showed off her ambidextrous arsenal. First, she slugged the Eagles with another bullet before going left-handed with a roller that caught the tape and dripped over to tie the game at 6-6. Continuing the nip-and-tuck battle, the two teams remained tied before Eastern snuck out to a modest 10-8 lead.

Staring at a two-point hole, Fisher ripped a kill before Rock peppered a pair of aces, including a dart that painted the far corner during a five-point streak, which gave CNU a 13-10 lead. Continuing to battle, Eastern responded and won seven of the next eight rallies to steal a 17-14 advantage. Unfazed, the Captains brushed off the skid and simply went back to work. Miller came through with a block and blast, while McIntyre rolled in a winner from the back row to knot the set at 17.

Showing similar resiliency, the Eagles shot back and eventually took a 22-21 edge, but the Captains were unimpressed and put the set away with one final push. Fisher got things rolling with another laser before Miller tacked on three kills over the last four rallies, including a textbook tip that dropped in over the blockers to ice the 25-23 triumph.

Leading by two sets, the Captains left little to doubt early in the third. After Miller punched a kill, Close pieced together the run of her life. The second-year standout took over at the line and pumped an ace while keeping the Eagles off-balance with an array of dynamite serves. She also dove and dug all over the court to keep rally-after-rally alive. Along the front row, Miller took advantage with two kills and a block, while Maddie McCann added a rocket of her own during a nine-point run that gave the hosts a 9-1 lead.

After Eastern finally managed to end the surge, Conway dropped in a kill and Sutton crushed a shot straight through a double block attempt on the way to a 14-9 lead. Later, Rock skied over the net and landed a dagger off an overpass before Miller came through with a block and kill on back-to-back rallies to secure a huge 17-11 advantage.

Although the Eagles were able to win a few rallies at the end of the set, the match was never in doubt after that point. Showing off power and precision, Miller blasted a kill that ricocheted into press row, Moore lofted a rainbow serve that eventually led to an EU error, and Sutton hammered home a cross-court bullet that pushed the lead to 22-15. Two rallies later, Conway went to her patented reverse tip as she caught the visitors out-of-position before another Eastern miscue gave CNU match-point at 24-17.

With the Regional Championship in their grasp, the Captains turned to Sutton, who put the exclamation point on the victory. Taking over at the service line, she picked out an Eagle and tattooed the EU defender with a blistering bullet that wrapped up the 25-17 victory as the building erupted in jubilation.

In addition to her ace and 10 kills, Sutton added four digs and a block on the defensive end. McCann also chipped in with seven digs for CNU while teaming with Moore, Close, McIntyre, and Jessie Kolden for a solid effort on serve-receive. Overall, the Captains allowed just five aces while collecting seven of their own.

With the victory, Christopher Newport advances back to the Elite Eight for the fifth time in six years. The Captains made four straight appearances from 2009-12, including a run to the Championship match in 2011. This year will be CNU's first time on their home court during the nationals as the team will welcome seven other squads to the Freeman Center for the three-day tournament beginning on Friday.

---CNU---