NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- Hannah Miller erupted for a season-high 17 kills to help lift the fourth-ranked Christopher Newport volleyball team past Salisbury, 3-1 (21-25, 25-19, 25-23, 25-22), in a Capital Athletic Conference showdown on Wednesday evening at the Freeman Center.
 
Carrying the Captains throughout the match, Miller posted a .333 hitting percentage to go along with her 17 kills and two blocks. Equally effective against the Sea Gulls, Maddie McCann punched 11 kills, while Rachel Conway dished out 46 assists. On the defensive end, Briana Sutton pocketed a career-high 19 digs and Rachel Close contributed 17 to anchor the back row.
 
With the victory, CNU improves to 16-2 on the season, including 2-0 in the CAC. The setback drops Salisbury to 14-7 with a 1-1 mark in league action.
 
In a rematch of the 2014 CAC Championship bout, Salisbury got off to a strong start in the first set and grabbed a 10-6 advantage to put the pressure on the Captains. Needing a spark, Evelyn Harper and Abby McIntyre pieced together an outstanding run. Harper took over at the line and had a solid string of serves to keep the Sea Gulls off-balance while also adding a diving dig and an assist. On the front row, McIntyre blistered a pair of kills, including a rope off the block, to headline a six-point surge that gave the hosts a 12-10 lead.
 
Unfortunately, Salisbury had an answer. Although McIntyre stung another kill and McCann dropped a perfectly-placed shot into the back corner, SU regrouped and snuck out to a 22-18 edge. Later, Sutton hammered home a pair of kills, but the Sea Gulls never lost their lead and won the first frame, 25-21.
 
With an early lead in the match, Salisbury inched out to a slim 6-5 edge in the second stanza before the Captains found their rhythm. Up front, Miller clubbed the visitors with back-to-back rockets before Sutton tooled one off the block on the way to a 10-10 tie. Later, after SU retaliated and took a five-point edge at 17-12, CNU settled in and battled back.
 
The Captains kicked off their comeback with a few oddities. Staring at a five-point hole, Sutton kept a rally alive after making a spectacular play on a hard shot by a Sea Gull hitter. Amazingly, her dig ricocheted over the net and found an opening in the back of the SU defense for a looping kill. Two rallies later, Salisbury was out-of-rotation on a serve by Ashley Rock, which helped CNU pull within two at 17-15 heading into an SU timeout.
 
Unfazed by the stoppage, the hosts remained hot. Miller and McCann laced back-to-back kills before a pair of SU miscues gave CNU a 19-17 lead. With the momentum on their side, the Captains closed out the frame behind a sensational run by Miller. Simply unstoppable during the tail end of the frame, the reigning All-American pummeled the Sea Gulls with four kills and added a block to close out the 25-19 victory.
 
Back on even ground, the Captains kept rolling in the third as a pair of quick kills by McCann highlighted an early surge that gave CNU a 7-3 edge. Although Salisbury eventually found its footing and managed to flip the script on the way to a 16-14 lead, Christopher Newport shook off the stumble and retaliated.
 
Rock kicked off the late push by slamming home a quick hitter off a feed from Conway before McIntyre and McCann smacked two straight kills to retake a 19-17 edge heading into an SU timeout. With a late lead, CNU turned back to Miller, who pounded four kills during a six-rally stretch to grab a 23-20 advantage. Shortly thereafter, Sutton painted the back line with a laser before a Sea Gull error gave the Captains a 25-23 triumph.
 
Looking to close out the match, Christopher Newport traded blows with Salisbury early in the fourth. Conway laid in one of her patented reverse dumps before McCann blistered a quick slide on the way to a 10-7 edge. Later, Miller skied over the net and slammed down an overpass before McIntyre laced a back-row kill to sustain a modest lead at 15-14.
 
Although Salisbury eventually evened the score on the next rally, CNU's defense stepped up. Building a wall from pin-to-pin, Sutton closed off the left side with a back-breaking solo block before Rock and McCann joined forces on the right side for another huge rejection that gave the hosts an 18-15 lead. Equally effective on the offensive side, McCann abused an SU block attempt for her 11th kill before Rock pieced together an excellent effort.
 
With Salisbury still battling, Rock punched a kill before taking over at the service line. Although SU excelled on serve-receive all night, Rock had enough of the scrappy Sea Gulls. The senior standout roped a tough serve that led to a setting error before spinning an ace on the very next rally to secure a 23-17 advantage. Although the visitors continued to fight hard, McIntyre put an end to the festivities with two final kills, including a dart off a back-row defender, to ice the 25-22 victory.
 
McIntyre finished the match with 11 digs and nine kills, while Rock and Sutton added eight kills apiece. Sutton also converted all 20 of her reception attempts.
 
Christopher Newport will return to action on Saturday with a tri-match against Frostburg State and Washington & Lee at the Freeman Center. The Captains will open up against the Bobcats at 11 a.m. before battling the Generals at 3 p.m.
 
---CNU---