SALISBURY, Md. -- Picking the perfect time for her second career double-double, Maddie McCann pieced together a tremendous effort on both sides of the ball as the senior helped carry the 24th-ranked Christopher Newport volleyball team into the Capital Athletic Conference championship match after defeating Salisbury, 3-2 (25-15,20-25,25-11,26-28,15-12), in the semifinals on Thursday evening at the Maggs Center.

Against the Sea Gulls, McCann equaled her career-high with 10 digs while tying for the team-lead with 16 kills. She also converted 27 of her 28 reception attempts on serve-receive. Meanwhile, fellow senior Briana Sutton picked apart Salisbury with 16 kills and a .324 hitting percentage, while Hannah Miller added 13 kills and seven blocks. Meanwhile, Rachel Close secured a match-high 21 digs, and Evelyn Harper added 19 to help quiet the SU attack.

With the victory, the Captains improve to 25-8 on the season and advance to the CAC title bout for a rematch with No. 15 Mary Washington on Saturday. Game time is slated for 2 p.m. in Fredericksburg.

After the two squads split the first four sets on Thursday, they squared off in a winner-take-all fifth frame. Although the Sea Gulls managed to slip out to an early 5-2 advantage, the Captains responded. McCann demolished a kill that bounced to the ceiling to get the comeback started. Later, Hope Webb sniped an ace off a back-row player before McCann's quick reactions along the net kept another rally alive, which led to a huge block by Riley Garrison and Katie Piper that evened the score at five.

Although Salisbury managed to slip out to another 9-6 lead, Christopher Newport continued to battle. Using every inch of the court, Piper sprayed a pair of kills before Sutton drilled another one that caught the line to knot the score at nine. Following a minor SU resurgence, Sutton found the back corner with another kill, and Piper snapped an ace off a diving defender to help snatch a 12-11 lead following Salisbury's second timeout.

After hitting the opposition with a ruthless assault, Sutton fooled them with a change-up and landed a roll shot into open spaces. Moments later, Miller banged a kill off the block to earn match-point at 14-12. One point away from the victory, the Captains had to earn the win with an incredible rally. Blanketing the court, Tylar McGill came through with a huge save, Close added a dig off a rocket, and McCann chased down a deflection that was destined for the bleachers. Still battling, it seemed only fitting that McCann added the final blow as she capitalized on a second-chance opportunity with a kill down the sideline to cap off the 15-12 victory.

Along with the senior standouts, Garrison came through with 10 kills, six digs, and three blocks during the match, while McGill handed out 29 assists. Webb also dished out 26 helpers and laced a pair of aces

Before helping bring the match to a close, McCann also got CNU off on the right front with an outstanding effort from the start. In the opening frame, she clubbed the squad's first four kills, including a gorgeous floater over a block attempt and a screamer down the sideline. Later, Garrison chipped in with a perfectly-placed ace before Piper landed a teardrop over the front row for her second kill during a five-point run, which gave the visitors a 10-6 lead heading into an SU timeout.

Following the break, Miller dotted the far sideline with a cross-court bullet, and McCann came through with a great rally after going low for a tough dig before punctuating the run with her fifth kill of the stanza. Shortly thereafter, Garrison and Katelyn Newsome landed a pair of tips before another dart by Piper led to a 17-11 lead and Salisbury's second timeout. Once again, the stoppage did little as Piper came out of the break with a scorcher that bounced off a pair of defenders before Miller and Sutton teamed up to close out the win.

The senior All-Americans joined forces on a pair of blocks and added a kill apiece, including the final shot by Sutton, to lock up the 25-15 triumph.

In the second stanza, the two squads traded blows during a grueling slugfest. Sutton came through with a pair of early winners, and Harper did excellent work all over the court. The senior snapped off an ace early in the set and later saved a rally with a diving, one-armed dig that McCann flipped into a kill to even the score at 11. Unfortunately, Salisbury put together a huge surge in the middle of the frame and won nine of 12 battles to grab a commanding 20-14 lead.

Although McCann added two late kills to help keep the set within reach, the Sea Gulls slipped away and evened the match with a 25-20 victory in the second.

With some momentum, the hosts wiggled out to a modest 7-6 edge in the third before the Captains found their rhythm. Sutton slammed two straight kills, including a laser that sent the Sea Gulls scurrying into the stands to try and save the deflection. She also added a great dig from her knees to keep a rally alive, while Miller came through with three kills and a block to help grab a 19-10 lead following a Salisbury timeout.

Following the break, Close chipped in with a spectacular run. Flying all over the court, the senior acrobat flipped head over heels for one dig and added a spinning save later in the same rally before Garrison capped off the play with a kill. Moments later, Close fired an ace to earn set-point before adding an assist on the clinching kill by McCann to ice the third, 25-11. 

Trailing two-sets-to-one, Salisbury inched out to a 13-11 lead in the fourth before CNU called a timeout. Regrouping in the break, Webb blew an ace off a defensive specialist before connecting with Piper on a picture-perfect back set. Garrison also clubbed a kill that bruised three Sea Gull defenders, and Sutton added two daggers, including a tracer off the libero and a southpaw shot that she punched down the line on the way to a 20-16 lead.

Unfortunately, the Sea Gulls had no interest in letting the match slip away in the fourth. The hosts won four straight rallies to even the score at 20. Later, after McGill came through with a diving save and Sutton abused the block to grab match-point at 24-22, Salisbury fought back again. Brushing aside back-to-back match-point attempts, SU locked things up again at 24. Battling back and forth, the Captains eventually earned two more match-point serves, but the Sea Gulls strung together three straight winners at the end of the frame to steal the 28-26 victory.

Fortunately, Christopher Newport had enough left in the tank to overcome an early deficit in the fifth and close out the semifinal win to earn a chance to defend its conference title on Saturday.

---CNU---