FREDERICKSBURG, Va. -- For the first time since 2006, the Christopher Newport volleyball program came up short in its quest for a conference title as the 24th-ranked Captains fell to No. 15 Mary Washington, 3-0 (25-13, 25-17, 25-14), during the Capital Athletic Conference championship on Saturday afternoon at the Rosner Arena.
 
After advancing to the finals as the league's No. 3 seed, CNU saw its run come to an end in the finals as the squad dropped a straight-set decision to the top-seeded Eagles. During the bout, Briana Sutton unloaded a match-high 11 kills, while Katie Piper had six on 15 swings. However, the Captains could not keep up with the high-powered Eagle attack, which finished the contest with a .398 hitting percentage.
 
With the setback, Christopher Newport falls to 25-9 on the season, while Mary Washington improves to 28-3.
 
From the outset, UMW took control. Although Sutton and Piper drilled early kills before Hannah Miller and Katelyn Newsome dropped in back-to-back tips, the hosts stormed out to a 15-6 lead heading into a CNU timeout. Following the break, Maddie McCann tattooed the far sideline with a bullet, Piper snapped a kill off the face of a defender, and Sutton converted a tough-angle roll shot down the sideline to pull the Captains within eight at 17-9.
 
Unfortunately, Mary Washington never lost control. Miller banged a late kill off the side of a UMW block attempt, but the hosts shook off the momentary setback on the way to a 25-13 triumph.
 
After the tough beat in the first frame, the Captains kept things close early in the second. Sutton almost single-handedly kept CNU in the set with three early kills, including a blast that torched a front-row player and settled into the stands. Shortly thereafter, Tylar McGill rolled one over the net after capitalizing on a great save by Rachel Close, while Riley Garrison elevated and shoved back an overpass to keep CNU's deficit at 7-6.
 
Continuing to battle, Sutton smashed a quick touch pass by McGill before adding a highlight-reel, no-look, behind-the-back tip that dropped gently into open spaces. Unfortunately, the Captains could never string together a run and overcome their modest deficits. Eventually, despite another dump by McGill and a free-ball kill by Garrison to pull the squad within two at 15-13, the Eagles fired back and extended their lead late in the stanza before cruising to a 25-17 triumph.
 
Facing a two-set deficit, Christopher Newport struggled to find its footing in the third. Although Sutton came through with a loud statement to open the frame after unleashing a missile off the head of a defensive specialist, Mary Washington shook off the play and won the next five rallies. Later, Garrison and Sutton tooled back-to-back block attempts, Miller and Hope Webb teamed up on a rejection, and Piper found a seam with a screamer to inch back within three at 9-6.
 
Flashing more firepower, Sutton demolished a serve that was sent back over the net, which Miller converted into a kill. McCann also added a pair of darts in the middle of the stanza, including a kill off the UMW block, which forced the Eagles to burn a timeout while holding a modest 13-9 advantage.
 
Following the break, Mary Washington regrouped and pulled away. Sutton pounded an ace and found the corner with a cross-court kill, while Webb rose up and punched a dart off a feed from Close, but the Captains could not make any inroads. Eventually, the Eagles won the final four rallies to lock up the conference title with a 25-14 triumph in the third.
 
Along with her work on the offensive end, Sutton posted a pristine 15-for-15 effort on serve-receive. Close also converted her 20 reception attempts, while Evelyn Harper was flawless on 10. Close also contributed a team-high nine digs during the battle, and Harper chipped in with six.
 
---CNU---