LEXINGTON, Va. -- The second-ranked Christopher Newport volleyball team capped off its trip to Lexington by flashing some impressive comeback skills on Saturday afternoon as the Captains toppled Randolph-Macon, 3-2 (25-16,18-25,17-25,25-17,15-7), before upending Washington & Lee, 3-0 (25-20, 25-15, 27-25), at W&L's Warner Center.
 
Leading the way for CNU, Briana Sutton wrapped up a truly historic weekend with two more incredible efforts on Saturday. The junior roped 23 kills in the opener against Randolph-Macon before tacking on 20 more in the nightcap against Washington & Lee. Coupled with her 28-kill outburst on Friday night, she became the first player since 2001 to record three consecutive 20-kill efforts. Current head coach Lindsay Birch was the last player to accomplish that feat.
 
Both effective and efficient, Sutton hit .311 during the first match against Macon on Saturday after posting a .388 mark against Emory on Friday. Putting that run in perspective, in less than 24 hours, the Williamsburg native had at least 20 kills and hit .300 in two separate matches. Over the last 10 years, all other Captains have combined for three such outings - one each by current assistant coach Cory Harris and former standouts Caitlyn Jansen and Ellen Koch.
 
Overall, Sutton finished her tremendous three-match run with 71 kills and a .333 hitting percentage.
 
Along with Sutton, Abby McIntyre had a strong performance on Saturday. She posted a double-double with 17 digs and 10 kills in the opener before adding 10 digs and nine kills in the nightcap. Rachel Conway also averaged over 11 assists-per-set during the two contests, while Hannah Miller recorded a team-high nine blocks.
 
With the two victories, Christopher Newport improves to 14-2 on the season. Randolph-Macon now sits at 13-3, and Washington & Lee is 9-6.
 
Coming off of a tough five-set battle against No. 4 Emory on Friday evening, CNU returned to the court on Saturday morning for a showdown with Randolph-Macon. Facing a team on an 11-match winning streak, the Captains already had their work cut out for them. Then, after falling behind two-sets-to-one to the Yellow Jackets, the squad had to dig in again and battle back.
 
After dropping the second and third frames, Christopher Newport came out on fire in the fourth. Sutton found her rhythm early with three quick kills before Maddie McCann added a pair of her own. Later, McIntyre showed off her diversified skill set with a phenomenal run. The senior leader collected a pair of blocks, added a kill, and smashed two aces to grab a 15-6 lead heading into an RMC timeout.
 
Although Macon showed some life and clawed back to within five at 20-15, McIntyre helped finish what she started. Continuing a solid frame, she unleashed two late kills to earn set-point before Sutton drove home the final nail off a feed from Conway to even the match with a 25-17 victory in the fourth.
 
After stumbling in the fifth frame against Emory, Christopher Newport had little interest in suffering the same fate on Saturday. Rachel Close came through with an early ace, Sutton added two kills, and McCann and Ashley Rock joined forces on a momentum-turning block to help secure a 10-6 advantage in the final stanza. Following a kill by the Yellow Jackets which stunted CNU's surge, the Captains shook off the momentary setback and rolled from there.
 
Miller and Conway helped jumpstart the final run with one kill each before McIntyre and Sutton closed out the contest. Just like the fourth frame, McIntyre set up the clincher as she blistered an ace to earn match-point. One rally later, Sutton ended the festivities with one final blow off another pass from Conway to lock up the 15-7 triumph.
 
During the match against Macon, five Captains registered double-digit dig efforts. Along with McIntyre's double-double, Sutton collected 12 digs to pair with her 23 kills. Meanwhile, Close pocketed a dozen digs, and Conway and Evelyn Harper each added 11. Incredibly, Conway finished just two kills shy of a triple-double after contributing 49 assists and eight kills as well.
 
As perfectly as the match against Randolph-Macon ended, it started just as nicely. In the first frame, the Captains bolted out to a 9-6 lead behind two kills and a block by Miller. Later, Sutton kept the pressure on with three daggers, while McCann and McIntyre also landed blows to keep a modest advantage at 17-15.
 
Although RMC pulled within one on the next rally, the Captains had enough and cruised to the opening-set victory. Conway kicked off the late push with her third kill of the set before Sutton wrapped things up. Woven among four late Macon miscues, Sutton teamed up with Miller on a rejection and added a pair of kills, including the capper, to seal the first, 25-16.
 
Unfortunately, CNU skidded a bit after the team's early success. In the second stanza, the Yellow Jackets struck early and often on the way to a 15-7 lead. Despite a solid rejection by Miller and McIntyre, the squad struggled to find its pacing. Even after Conway lit up Randolph-Macon with a kill and ace, Christopher Newport could not inch much closer as the team dropped the set, 25-18.
 
Back on even ground, the two squads traded blows early in the third as Sutton ripped three kills on the way to a one-point deficit at 8-7. Sadly, following an RMC timeout, the Yellow Jackets took off. Storming ahead, the team won 12 of the next 16 rallies to snare a 20-11 edge. Although McIntyre landed two kills and McCann roped a bullet, CNU couldn't climb out of the hole and fell, 25-17.
 
Trailing in the contest, the Captains settled in and retaliated. Snatching up the final two frames, CNU won its second five-set match of the year.
 
Miller finished with 10 kills and a .348 hitting percentage against the Yellow Jackets. She also chipped in with four blocks, while McIntyre and Rock added three apiece. McIntyre also posted three aces to help balance out a well-rounded performance.
 
After back-to-back five-set marathons, the Captains were hoping for a shorter bout in the nightcap against Washington & Lee. From the start, the squad looked comfortable. Conway got things off on the right foot as she teamed with Rock on a block and dropped in a picture-perfect dump to grab a 4-1 lead. Later, McIntyre stepped up with two kills and a block to help grab a 9-4 advantage heading into a W&L timeout.
 
Looking for a little more breathing room, Sutton simply devastated the defense with five kills during the middle of the frame, including three straight darts. Shortly thereafter, Rock hammered home a back-set from Conway before ripping an ace to keep a five-point edge at 18-13.
 
Needing one final push to wrap up the first, Miller took charge with two rejections before ripping a laser off a slide. With more than enough cushion, Sutton and Rock abused the block with back-to-back kills before Close lined an ace and Sutton added the final punctuation mark with her ninth kill of the frame to lock down the 25-20 triumph.
 
In the second, Sutton picked up where she left off with three quick kills before McIntyre showed off her arsenal. First, she used a gentle touch to drop a roll shot into open spaces before plastering the back corner with a cross-court rocket to help secure a 12-10 edge. Later, she knocked home an ace to stretch the lead before McCann came through with a great run.
 
Following a timeout by the Generals, McCann hammered home an overpass before joining forces with Rock on a back-breaking rejection. Later, after Sutton stung a kill and ace on two straight rallies, McCann teamed up on another block before driving home the clinching kill to seal the 25-15 win.
 
Holding a two-set lead, the Captains faced a tough battle in the third. Rock got off to a great start with three early kills, including a pair of tips, but Washington & Lee managed to steal a 12-7 lead. Continuing to give CNU a tough time, the hosts used a late five-point streak to grab a 21-13 edge following Christopher Newport's final timeout of the frame.
 
After overcoming a two-sets-to-one deficit earlier in the day against Macon, the Captains shrugged off the eight-point hole and simply went to work. Miller opened the late surge with a kill and block on back-to-back rallies before McIntyre found her groove. Showing off her versatility and relentlessness, she peppered a kill and two aces before going down on her knees for a tough dig to keep a rally alive that resulted in another blast by Sutton, which pulled CNU within three at 22-19.
 
Later, after Miller added another shot and Conway joined up with Rock on a rejection, Christopher Newport turned back to its hot-hand to complete the comeback. Sutton landed three straight kills, including a tip to tie it and a bullet off the block to snare a 24-23 lead. Two rallies later, McIntyre stung a kill from the back row to earn match-point again at 25-24.
 
Although the Generals refused to go down easily, Sutton assaulted a back-row defender with her 20th kill before McCann and Rock slammed the door with one final block to take the third, 27-25.
 
Fittingly, Sutton capped off her weekend with a little more history against the Generals. Her performance in the nightcap marked the program's first 20-kill effort in a three-set match since Ellen Koch did it at Southwestern on September 30, 2005. Meanwhile, McIntyre came through with nine kills without a single attack error, and Rock added eight and a .467 hitting percentage. Rock, Miller, and McCann all chipped in with five blocks as well, while Harper tied McIntyre for the team-lead with 10 digs.
 
Christopher Newport will return to action on Tuesday when the Captains kick off Capital Athletic Conference play with a 6 p.m. contest at Southern Virginia.
 
---CNU---