NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- Led by strong work at the service line throughout the match and a gutsy comeback bid late in the third set, the 20th-ranked Christopher Newport volleyball team registered its second sweep of the week as the Captains toppled York (Pa.), 3-0 (25-12, 26-24, 27-25), during a Capital Athletic Conference clash on Friday evening at the Freeman Center.
 
During the contest, Katie Piper led the Captains with 10 kills, while Hope Webb handed out 33 assists and clubbed five aces. Equally impressive at the service line, Josie Lucernoni pumped two aces and led the team's thrilling comeback after the squad faced a 24-20 deficit in the third. Meanwhile, Rachel Close secured 11 digs, while Evelyn Harper added 10 to go along with a 12-for-12 effort on serve-receive.
 
With the victory, Christopher Newport improves to 19-7 on the season, including 4-2 in league action. The setback drops York (Pa.) to 20-8 overall and 3-4 in the CAC.
 
Early in the contest, the Captains flashed their muscle and stormed out to a big lead in the first. Webb helped jumpstart the surge with back-to-back aces before Riley Garrison fired a winner of her own. Meanwhile, Katelyn Newsome tattooed a pair of defenders with two early kills, while Hannah Miller chipped in with three, including a perfectly-placed tip over a YCP block attempt to nail down a huge 17-8 advantage.
 
With ample cushion, Maddie McCann drove home two straight kills before the squad orchestrated a six-point run to close out the contest. During the final push, Garrison teamed with Newsome and McCann on a pair of blocks, while Webb punctuated the victory with a sizzling ace off a back-row defender to lock up the 25-12 triumph.
 
The second set was much more evenly matched as the two squads fought to a 7-7 deadlock. Shortly thereafter, Piper painted the back line with a kill before Garrison landed two, including an acrobatic, off-balance, out-stretched dart, to help nail down a slim 17-15 lead. Unfortunately, the Spartans quickly flipped the script and stole four straight rallies to snare a 19-17 advantage heading into a CNU timeout.
 
Following the break, the Captains began to chip away at the visitors' lead. Lucernoni blistered an ace, and Piper slammed a kill off a diving defender to retake a one-point edge. Later, Miller kept the lead at one and earned set-point with a rocket before Garrison and Webb closed off the far pin with a devastating block to ice the second, 26-24.
 
The third stanza played much like the second with both teams trading blows early on. Piper spun an ace and banged a kill off the near sideline, while Miller and McCann combined for four kills on the way to an 8-8 tie. Although the Spartans managed to wiggle away momentarily in the middle of the stanza, Lucernoni floated an ace off the back line, while McCann hit the Spartans with a tip to help even the score again at 18.
 
After that point, York ran away with six of the next seven rallies to earn set-point at 24-20. With their backs planted against the wall, the Captains refused to break. First, Piper pushed a shot off two defenders to kick-start the comeback. Following the kill, Lucernoni took over at the line with ice water in her veins. Fending off three straight set-points, a York timeout, and a lengthy break for an untied shoelace, the sophomore helped Christopher Newport capitalize on three straight YCP errors to even the score at 24.
 
Although York managed to grab another set-point at 25-24, Christopher Newport had enough and put the match away. Two straight Spartan miscues set up an exciting final rally. Showing off on the defensive end, Close came through with a spectacular diving dig as she threw caution to the wind and hurled herself onto the court to keep the rally alive. Moments later, Piper capitalized as she crushed a back-row bullet through the York defense to close out the 27-25 victory.
 
Along with Piper's work up front, Miller and McCann both dropped in eight kills apiece, while Garrison and Newsome had five each. Garrison also assisted on four blocks during the match.
 
Christopher Newport will return to action on Saturday when the squad kicks off a tri-match with a 10 a.m. battle against Penn State Harrisburg.
 
---CNU---