NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- For the eighth straight season, the Christopher Newport volleyball team walked away with a league title as the ninth-ranked Captains claimed the Capital Athletic Conference Championship after taking down Salisbury, 3-0 (25-21, 25-18, 25-20), during the title bout at the Freeman Center on Saturday afternoon.

Claiming their second straight CAC title and eighth consecutive championship overall, the Captains punched their ticket back to the NCAA Tournament after earning the league's automatic bid. The playoff bracket will be announced with a selection show on NCAA.com at 11 a.m. on Monday.

During the championship game, the CNU attack overwhelmed the Sea Gulls as the Captains posted a .311 hitting percentage. Under the bright lights, freshman Eliza Fisher was on-point throughout the contest as she clubbed 10 kills on just 19 swings. Hannah Miller also registered 12 kills, while Maddie McCann contributed seven on 13 attacks. Rachel Conway added 37 assists as well.

Defensively, Miller led the way along the net with three blocks, while McCann and Briana Sutton assisted on a pair. The back row pieced together a spectacular effort as well led by Brooke Moore. The senior libero notched a team-high nine digs and was flawless on serve-receive, converting all 27 of her reception attempts. Abby McIntyre and Rachel Close were perfect as well, combining for a 20-for-20 performance. Overall, CNU held the Sea Gulls without a single ace during the entire match.

In addition to locking up the CAC Championship, Saturday's victory also moves Christopher Newport to 31-3 on the season. Salisbury wraps up the tournament at 22-10 overall.

In the opening frame, Salisbury rolled out to an early lead before Miller almost single-handedly turned the tide. The sophomore blasted the Sea Gulls with three kills and teamed with Sutton on a huge rejection, which got the crowd on its feet and gave the hosts a 9-5 advantage. Later, Sutton showed off her cannon with a kill and ace before McCann drilled a pair of blasts to keep a four-point edge at 16-12 entering a Salisbury timeout.

Following the break, the visitors managed to pull back within one, but CNU continued to attack. Sutton kicked off the final push by flashing some defense as she saved a tough attack from hitting the floor with a diving dig, which eventually led to the first of two Sea Gull miscues. Later, Fisher drilled the opposition with a pair of kills to lock up a 22-17 advantage.

Although SU continued to battle and eventually pulled back within two, Fisher hit them with another dart before a pair of errors helped seal a 25-21 victory for Christopher Newport.

In the second, the Sea Gulls managed to pull out to another early lead despite a pair of quick kills by Miller. Unfazed by the hole, the Captains dropped four straight winners on Salisbury, including a kill by Sutton and an ace by Miller. Shortly thereafter, Sutton continued to pepper the opposition as the sophomore hammered a tracer down the line before smacking an ace to give CNU a modest advantage at 10-8.

Back on top, Christopher Newport never gave up its lead. Fisher kicked off a mid-set surge with a sneaky, heads-up play along the far antenna. With Salisbury's defense pursuing far to the left, the freshman southpaw took a feed from Conway and simply floated a perfectly-placed shot to the other side of the court that found nothing but open spaces. Later, Miller and McCann joined forces on a pair of blocks before McIntyre lofted a rainbow to the back line for an ace, which gave CNU a 17-11 lead.

Despite a modest response by Salisbury, the Sea Gulls had no answer for Krista Hughes during the waning moments of the frame. Drilling dagger after dagger, the senior dropped in three late kills to snatch a 22-16 edge. With more than enough breathing room, the Captains closed out the stanza in style. After McCann notched a late kill to help grab set-point, she made an incredible diving play to keep the final rally alive before Fisher capped things off with one last bullet to lock up a 25-18 victory.

After a pair of slow starts in the first two frames, CNU bolted out to a quick lead in the third. Miller kicked things off with two kills before Sutton showed off her diversified skill set. The second-year standout teamed with Hughes on a block before ripping a kill and ace on back-to-back rallies to grab an 8-4 lead heading into an SU timeout.

Although the stoppage allowed the Sea Gulls to regroup momentarily, the Captains continued to punish the SU defense. Fisher uncorked a pair of kills, including a blast from the back row. Miller also cranked two kills before Sutton left her mark on the hardwood with a sizzling shot down the far sideline that gave Christopher Newport a 17-12 advantage.

Still rolling, Fisher added one more kill before Miller notched two, including a gym-rattling rocket off an overpass that forced SU to use their final timeout staring at a 20-13 deficit. Following the break, Moore drilled an ace before Salisbury managed to make a bit of a run to pull back within four at 22-18.

Sensing a minor shift in momentum, Conway broke Salisbury's run after driving a rope to the back row off a feed from Moore. Despite back-to-back winners by SU, the Captains closed out the match following a timeout. After the squad caught its breath in the break, Jessie Kolden blasted a kill before ripping another shot that got the Sea Gulls off-balance and eventually led to an SU miscue, which iced the 25-20 victory.

During the title bout, Christopher Newport limited Salisbury to a .125 hitting percentage and allowed just 24 kills. Along with Moore's performance on the back row, McIntyre came through with six digs, while Kolden and Close each had five. Hughes also contributed a block to go along with four kills on just six swings.

The NCAA Tournament will kick off on Friday with first-round action. Stay tuned at CNUsports.com for updates as they become available.

---CNU---