NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- An electric effort by Rachel Close in the opener and a well-balanced assault in the nightcap headlined a strong showing by the 18th-ranked Christopher Newport volleyball team as the Captains split a pair of decisions on Saturday by upending Johns Hopkins, 3-1 (24-26, 25-14, 26-24, 25-18), after falling to No. 4 Southwestern, 3-2 (25-23, 25-18, 17-25, 22-25, 15-7), during a marathon tri-match at the Freeman Center.
 
Against the Pirates in the opener, Close registered the program's 17th all-time 30-dig match after collecting exactly 30 during the five-set thriller. Not only did that establish a new career-high for the senior libero, but it also marked the most by a Captain since 2012 when four-time All-American Abby Hogge was patrolling the back row for CNU.
 
Close eventually finished with 41 digs during the two matches, while Evelyn Harper pocketed 29 and converted 46 of her 47 reception attempts. Meanwhile, on the offensive end, Briana Sutton led the Captains with 31 kills during the day. Katelyn Newsome also added 23 blasts and hit .304, while Riley Garrison contributed 18 kills and a .333 mark. The two middle hitters combined for 17 blocks on Saturday as well.
 
With the split, Christopher Newport sits at 17-7 on the season. Southwestern is 23-1, and Johns Hopkins is 12-7.
 
In the opener against the Pirates, CNU followed an eerily similar script to the squad's performance against No. 14 Mary Washington on Friday. The hosts fell behind early but showed incredible heart to battle back late in the contest.
 
In the first set, Garrison got things rolling with a block and kill, while Newsome and Katie Piper also punched a pair of early blasts. Still motoring along, Maddie McCann hammered a dart down the sideline before pushing another kill off a defender on back-to-back rallies, which gave CNU a 13-8 lead and forced Southwestern to burn a timeout.
 
Following the break, the Pirates found their rhythm and won the next seven rallies to grab a two-point advantage. Although CNU retaliated, including an ace by Tylar McGill and a thunderous cross-court shot by Sutton, Southwestern never relented. Even facing a 21-18 deficit towards the end of the frame, the visitors regrouped in another timeout and made a late push to steal the 25-23 victory.
 
Continuing to trade blows in the second stanza, Garrison rocked a kill off the head of a blocker, while Newsome and Sutton put on an aerial assault as the athletes skied high to send back two straight overpasses on the way to an 8-8 deadlock. Unfortunately, Southwestern came back with a mid-set run to grab a 19-14 edge.
 
Fighting back, Piper drilled a kill through a block attempt and Sutton dropped a shot into the corner to help pull the Captains back within three at 21-18. Sadly, that was as close as the hosts could come as Southwestern took the final four rallies to nail down the 25-18 triumph.
 
With their backs against the wall, the Captains came out firing in the third. Harper and Garrison both snapped off aces, while Piper showed off a gentle touch with a pair of tips before teaming with Newsome on a block to snatch a 17-10 lead. Later, Sutton went southpaw and landed a lefty tip before Newsome joined forces with Hope Webb on another block to inch ahead, 20-14.
 
Looking to close out the frame, Garrison popped two late kills, while Close made a spectacular diving dig and Harper added a pair from her knees before Sutton landed a roll shot to earn set-point at 24-17. Following her defensive efforts, Harper came back to hammer home the final nail with an ace, which sealed the 25-17 win.
 
With new life, Christopher Newport stumbled a bit in the fourth. Although Newsome abused an SU block attempt and Webb won a huge joust at the net, the Pirates pulled away early. Despite a pair of timeouts by CNU, the visitors managed to slip out to a 17-11 edge before the Captains found their groove.
 
Showing off on both sides of the ball, Garrison came through with a great up before Josie Lucernoni made an acrobatic play to save another rally, which led to a pair of SU miscues during a five-point streak. Later, Piper connected on a cross-court bullet, and Garrison followed with a huge solo block that blew the roof off the Freeman Center to headline a four-point run that gave the hosts a 20-18 lead.
 
Having done too much work to dig out of the hole, Christopher Newport eased into the victory. Sutton connected on three straight kills, including a laser off a diving defender, to earn set-point. One rally later, Newsome showed off her hops once again and elevated for the kill-shot off a feed from Webb to ice the fourth, 25-22.
 
Unfortunately, the fifth set did not go quite as well. Although Sutton put the team on her back with five kills, including a pair that devastated Southwestern block attempts, the visitors were relentless. The Pirates eventually broke the set open with a five-point run late in the stanza to cruise to the 15-7 triumph.
 
Overall, Sutton finished with 17 kills during the contest, while Newsome had 15. Along with Close's 30-dig performance, Harper and Lucernoni pocketed 16 apiece. Garrison and Katie Crofford added double-digit dig efforts as well, and Webb led the team with 29 assists.
 
Following the marathon setback, Christopher Newport returned to the court for a nightcap with Johns Hopkins. Piper did damage early as the freshman blistered three kills, including one that spun through a pair of blockers and two back-row defenders before settling in the stands. Sutton also torched a block attempt, but the Blue Jays wiggled out to a 14-11 lead.
 
Retaliating, the Captains won seven straight rallies as Crofford lit up the opposition from the service line, while McCann added two kills, including a scorcher that drilled a defender in the chest. Staring at an 18-14 deficit, Johns Hopkins shot back. Although Piper busted another kill through a block attempt and Harper hit the floor for a diving dig to save a rally that earned CNU set-point at 24-23, the Blue Jays were undeterred.
 
Eventually, JHU won the final three rallies to clinch the first, 26-24.
 
Accustomed to early deficits in recent weeks, Christopher Newport shook off the setback and came out smoking in the second. Sutton smacked two kills, Newsome added a block and blast, and both Crofford and McGill snapped off aces to lock down a 12-4 edge. Later, Garrison stood tall along the front row with two blasts and a block to extend the lead to 17-8.
 
With more than enough cushion, Christopher Newport stormed to the victory. McGill dunked in her second kill of the stanza, while McCann came through with two darts and a block to earn set-point. Adding the final punctuation mark, Sutton pin-balled a screamer off a blocker to seal the second, 25-14.
 
Back on even ground, CNU pulled ahead again in the third. Garrison landed back-to-back kills during a four-point streak early in the set before a pair of rejections helped the team earn a 14-11 edge. Shortly thereafter, the hosts set their sights on press row and nearly devastated the courtside seats. Sutton rocketed a shot off a defender that almost took out a computer before Newsome ricocheted one towards the sound system, which led to a 21-19 lead.
 
Later in the set, Sutton and Newsome added less destructive kills to earn set-point at 24-22. Although the visitors managed to win the next two rallies, a pair of JHU errors eventually handed CNU a 26-24 win.
 
With their first lead of the weekend, the Captains looked to close out the match in the fourth. Piper and Sutton combined for five quick kills on the way to an 8-5 lead. Later, Garrison did her best impression of a wall along the net as the freshman assisted on a pair of blocks before sending a quick-hitter back with a tremendous solo rejection to snare a 16-12 advantage.
 
Looking for a little more breathing room, Sutton chipped in with a kill and block before Newsome almost single-handedly closed out the match. The junior tattooed three defenders with a bevy of kills before elevating for a solo block during a four-point run that gave the hosts a 22-16 lead. With little left to prove, Garrison eventually wrapped up the victory with the final two kills to ice the 25-18 triumph.
 
Sutton led CNU with 14 kills during the match, while McCann added a dozen. Garrison also contributed 10 kills and six blocks, while Newsome had five rejections. On the back row, Harper finished with 13 digs, and Close had 11.
 
Christopher Newport will return to action on Tuesday when the squad hosts Gallaudet at 7 p.m.
 
---CNU---