ST. MARY'S CITY, Md. -- Behind a gritty effort and never-say-die attitude, the fourth-ranked Christopher Newport volleyball team survived a hard-fought five-set battle with St. Mary's as the Captains outlasted the Seahawks, 3-2 (19-25, 25-13, 25-21, 21-25, 15-12), during a Capital Athletic Conference showdown on Sunday afternoon at the O'Brien Arena.
 
Rachel Conway came up big throughout the match, including two back-breaking kills late in the fifth set. The senior setter eventually finished the contest with 54 assists, five kills, four blocks, and three aces. Briana Sutton and Abby McIntyre also contributed double-doubles for CNU. Sutton finished with 19 kills and 17 digs, while McIntyre posted 10 and 16.
 
Helping carry the Captains throughout the match, Christopher Newport pieced together a tenacious defensive effort. Along with Sutton and McIntyre, Rachel Close added 21 digs, while Ashley Rock chipped in with six blocks. Hannah Miller and Maddie McCann came through with a pair of rejections as well.
 
With the victory, Christopher Newport improves to 22-2 on the season, including 6-0 in league action. The setback drops St. Mary's to 13-8 overall and 3-2 in CAC matches.
 
After the Seahawks forced a decisive fifth set, the two teams traded blows early in the final frame. Getting things started, Miller came through with a block and blast, while Conway blew a shot through a St. Mary's blocker after a great save by Close on the way to a modest 3-1 advantage. Later, Rock tipped a kill over the SMC front line before Sutton drilled a back-row defender with a screaming bullet to sustain a slim 6-5 lead.
 
As they did all day, the hosts continued to fight and eventually won five of the next six rallies to grab a 10-7 edge following a CNU timeout. With their backs firmly planted against the wall, the Captains turned to Miller, who pumped a pair of kills to headline a three-point streak that knotted the score at 10. Although St. Mary's was able to break the deadlock on the very next rally, Conway took control.
 
Following a Seahawk miscue, Sutton went down to her knees to save a tough SMC attack before Conway pushed the ball to the back corner to snare a 12-11 edge. On the next rally, Conway imposed her will along the net as she went airborne and battled a St. Mary's attacker following a free ball. Refusing to back down, she won the joust and muscled the ball through the opposition for another kill before two late errors by the hosts handed CNU a hard-fought 15-12 triumph.
 
Coming up big when it mattered, the Captains hit .308 in the fifth set after finishing below .200 in three of the first four frames. Overall, Christopher Newport finished the match with a .176 hitting percentage due in large part to a gutsy effort by the Seahawk defense.
 
Although the day ended well for CNU, the squad hit a rough pitch in the first set. Facing their fourth match in five days, the Captains were slow out of the gate and fell behind, 8-3. Following three quick blocks by the Seahawks, Christopher Newport adjusted and showed some finesse as Sutton tipped a pair of kills before McCann added a rainbow of her own. Later, Madi Wickens pummeled an ace that caught a defender and bounced deep into the stands, but the squad still trailed, 14-8.
 
Although the visitors were able to cut the deficit down to four at 21-17, St. Mary's was undeterred. The hosts never wavered and eventually captured the first, 25-19.
 
After a tough defeat in the opener, Sutton took control early in the second with four fast kills, while Rock battled an attacker by herself and came through with a devastating solo block off a quick hitter to help secure a 7-5 edge. Later, Sutton fired another rocket down the line that forced a timeout before McIntyre stung an ace following the stoppage to help grab a 14-9 advantage.
 
With a five-point edge, McIntyre and Sutton came back to help put the set out-of-reach. Sutton pounded three straight kills, while McIntyre cleaned up on the back row with five digs during that stretch to help secure a 20-11 edge. Later, McCann put things away as the junior made a diving dig on the far sideline to save one rally before painting the back line with the clinching kill to lock up the 25-13 triumph.
 
Having momentum on their side, the Captains stormed out to a 9-1 edge in the third, highlighted by an ace from Rock and a quick dunk by Conway off a dig by Sutton. Continuing the run, McIntyre made a sensational dig to keep a rally alive after the Seahawks crushed an overpass before Conway laced back-to-back aces on the way to a gigantic 18-5 lead heading into an SMC timeout.
 
Staring at a huge hole, the Seahawks battled back and made things interesting. Although Sutton pushed a shot through a block attempt to earn set-point at 24-16, St. Mary's won five straight rallies to pull within three. Needing to end the madness, CNU called for a timeout before Rock and McCann joined forces on a block, which iced the third, 25-21.
 
Although the Captains pulled out the victory in the third, the Seahawks found their confidence late in the frame and it carried over into the fourth. Despite a pair of blocks by Rock and another ace from Conway, the hosts pulled out to an 11-9 edge. Hoping to steal back some of the momentum, Rock teamed with Conway on another rejection before adding a kill of her own to help flip the script and secure a 15-13 advantage for CNU.
 
Continuing to land blows, Sutton pinballed a kill off a blocker and back row defender before Close contributed another acrobatic dig that led to a blast by Rock. Unfortunately, St. Mary's shrugged off the punches and eventually stole six of the final eight rallies to win the fourth, 25-21.
 
Fortunately, the Captains had enough left in the tank to battle through the fifth and survive the tough road test to stay unbeaten in the CAC.
 
Along with Sutton and McIntyre's offensive efforts, Miller also unloaded 11 kills, while McCann punched eight. Christopher Newport also shined on serve-receive as McIntyre, Sutton, and Evelyn Harper combined to convert all 50 of their reception attempts. McIntyre was especially stingy, going 25-for-25 by herself.
 
The Captains will return to action on Tuesday when CNU travels to Gallaudet for a 7 p.m. battle.
 
---CNU---