NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- Rachel Conway and Briana Sutton both earned All-Tournament honors after helping the third-ranked Christopher Newport volleyball team close out the CNU Invitational with a pair of victories on Saturday afternoon as the Captains toppled DeSales, 3-0 (25-14, 25-10, 25-12), before taking down Bethany, 3-0 (25-17, 25-22, 28-26), at the Freeman Center.
 
During the tournament, Sutton led CNU with 56 kills and a .368 hitting percentage. Meanwhile, Conway averaged 9.62 assists-per-set and chipped in with seven blocks and four aces to round out an award-winning weekend.
 
On Saturday, the two honorees continued to shine as Sutton posted 25 kills, while Conway chipped in with 59 assists. Joining the two standouts, Hannah Miller had a marvelous performance on Saturday as she registered 19 kills and a sensational .548 hitting percentage during the two matches. Ashley Rock also did the dirty work along the net with a team-high 10 blocks, and Rachel Close cleaned up on the back row with 24 digs.
 
With the two victories, CNU improves to 12-1 on the season. The setbacks dropped DeSales to 8-5 and Bethany to 9-4.
 
Kicking off the day against DeSales, Christopher Newport grabbed an early advantage and never looked back. Leading the charge, Maddie McCann blistered three kills in the span of four rallies, while Evelyn Harper drilled an ace to help the squad snare a quick 10-5 lead. Although the visitors momentarily halted the streak, Miller responded with three kills, while Conway registered an ace on the way to a 21-13 edge heading into a DU timeout.
 
Following the break, Kellyn DeChirico celebrated her birthday with an impressive debut. The freshman made a memorable first impression as she punched a pair of kills on her first two career swings. First, she ripped a shot off a defender in the back corner before drilling another kill into the center of the defense on back-to-back rallies. Later, Abby McIntyre lined an ace and DeSales committed an error to seal a 25-14 victory.
 
With one set in the bag, the Captains looked just as effective in the second stanza. Sutton showed off her arsenal as she blasted the Bulldogs with four rockets while mixing in a tip over the block. Later, Conway flashed some athleticism as she rose up and saved a tough deflection from sneaking over the net before tapping the ball back to Rock, who quickly hammered it home for a 13-4 advantage.
 
Later, after a string of Bulldog miscues and a pair of kills by Miller gave the squad a 21-6 advantage, Cat Boyle pieced together an excellent run to close out the frame. Making her collegiate debut, she joined forces with Miller on a beautiful block before firing a rocket off a pass from Tylar McGill to snatch a 23-9 lead. With more than enough cushion, Miller drove home another kill before Eliza Fisher capped things off with a dart of her own to clinch the 25-10 triumph.
 
With a two-set lead, the Captains continued to put their future on display early in the third. On back-to-back rallies, freshman Tessa Klimaitis unloaded a kill before fellow first-year standout Josie Lucernoni spun an ace to grab a 6-2 edge. Two rallies later, McIntyre came through with a memorable sequence. Off a feed from McGill, she peppered a back-row defender in the chest with an absolute bullet. Incredibly, the ball managed to spin back over the net, which gave McIntyre another chance. On her very next swing, she smoked a kill off the head of the same defender, which ricocheted into the stands and gave the hosts a 7-3 edge.
 
Continuing to surge, McGill and Katelyn Newsome dropped in kills before Klimaitis orchestrated a devastating mid-set surge. The freshman teamed up with Rock on a pair of rejections and went cross-court with a screaming kill after Close kept the play alive with a diving dig. Later, McIntyre painted the back line with two kills before Newsome and Harper closed out the contest.
 
Combining for the final five points of the frame, the two sophomores wrapped up the match in style. Harper blistered a pair of aces, while Newsome popped two kills and added a solo rejection to ice the set, 25-12.
 
Overall, Sutton finished with 12 kills without a single attack error, while Miller added nine blasts on just 11 swings for a sizzling .727 hitting percentage. Conway also added 21 assists, and McGill chipped in with a career-high 14 helpers. Meanwhile, on the defensive end, Close finished with a team-high eight digs and Rock chimed in with four blocks.
 
Following the victory over DeSales, CNU returned to the court to cap off the tournament against Bethany. Looking to get the early jump on the Bison, Sutton fired two straight kills, while Rock and Klimaitis teamed up on a block to help secure a 7-4 edge. Later, Miller caught fire as the junior pumped three kills, including a gorgeous tip over the blockers, to keep a 14-10 advantage heading into a Bethany timeout.
 
Following the stoppage, the visitors pulled back within one, but the Captains never let them get any closer. Rock was magnificent in the middle of the front line as the senior carried the team with two kills and a pair of blocks on the way to a 21-14 advantage. With a comfortable lead, the hosts turned to McCann to wrap things up as she popped two late kills to seal the 25-17 win.
 
Using the same script that worked in the first frame, Christopher Newport peeled out to a nice lead in the second and never looked back. Close stung the Bison with an early ace, while McCann, McIntyre, and Sutton all chimed in with two quick kills to steal a 15-8 lead. Although Bethany was able to cut into the deficit, McCann helped close the door again. This time, she flashed her defensive skills as she frustrated the opposing hitters, disrupting a pair of attack attempts before teaming with Miller to terminate the rally with a block to snare a 19-16 lead.
 
Hoping for a little more breathing room, Sutton busted a kill off the head of a blocker before Rock and Conway joined forces on another rejection to grab a 24-19 lead. Although the visitors held off the inevitable for a few rallies, Rock added the final blow as she landed a kill on the back line to close out the 25-22 triumph.
 
With their backs against the wall, the Bison burst out to an early lead in the third and eventually secured a 10-8 advantage. Needing to flip the momentum, Sutton landed another kill before Conway flashed some muscle. Opting for a behind-the-back dump, she met some resistance from a Bethany blocker but had enough strength to blow the ball right through the opposition and even the score at 11.
 
Later, the defense stepped up as Harper laid out for a dig before Rock and Conway joined forces on a block. Miller also shoved an attack attempt right back at the Bison with a tremendous solo stop before burning a kill through a pair of defenders to keep the game knotted at 20.
 
Still battling, Sutton unleashed two kills, including a tracer that ricocheted into the stands, before Klimaitis put on a show. Although Bethany was able to earn set-point, the freshman stood tall. Looking like a savvy veteran, she eventually staved off a pair of set-points with two kills and added a devastating block alongside Rock to turn the tide and grab a 27-26 lead. Looking to close things out, Harper took over at the line and blistered a tough serve before going to her knees to dig up an attack attempt. Frustrated by the feisty junior, the Bison eventually committed an error that clinched the 28-26 win for CNU.
 
Overall, Sutton finished with 13 kills against Bethany, while Miller added 10 to go along with a .450 hitting percentage. Klimaitis was equally efficient as she pumped six kills and added a pair of blocks, while Rock led the way with six rejections. On the back row, Close came through with 16 digs and teamed with Harper and Madi Wickens for a flawless 31-for-31 effort on serve-receive.
 
Joining Conway and Sutton on the All-Tournament Team, Juniata's Mar-Jana Phillips was honored as the Most Valuable Player, while fellow Eagles Nakita Gearhart and Kelly Reynolds also earned a spot on the squad. DeSales' Gabby Savite' and Bethany's Dylana McKenzie rounded out the award-winners from the weekend.
 
Christopher Newport will return to action next Friday when the squad heads to Washington & Lee for a 4:30 p.m. battle against No. 1 Emory.
 
---CNU---