ATLANTA, Ga. -- Katie Piper came through with her second straight 20-kill effort, while Josie Lucernoni continued to dominate on the back row as the 21st-ranked Christopher Newport volleyball team survived a five-set marathon in the first round of the NCAA Tournament as the Captains upended Thomas More, 3-2 (16-25, 25-22, 25-23, 16-25, 15-11), on Thursday evening at Emory's Woodruff Center.
 
Against the Saints, Piper drilled a team-high 21 kills while also adding 16 digs for her ninth double-double of the season. After dropping 20 kills against Mary Washington in the Capital Athletic Conference Championship last weekend, Piper is just the fifth Captain in program history to unload at least 20 kills in two straight tilts. Abby McIntyre was the last to accomplish that feat in 2015.
 
Lucernoni made a little history of her own as the junior libero cleaned up with a match-high 28 digs. That marked her 25th straight double-digit dig effort, establishing a new program record. She also dished out a career-high 11 assists during the match for her first collegiate double-double.
 
Equally impressive on Thursday, Abby Oren smacked 10 kills without a single attack error, while Tylar McGill and Ashley Burgess each added double-doubles of their own. Burgess finished with 22 assists and 14 digs, while McGill contributed 13 helpers and 11 digs.
 
With the victory, Christopher Newport improves to 28-3 on the season and advances to the NCAA Regional Semifinals on Friday for a date with No. 7 Emory at 7 p.m. On the other side, the setback drops Thomas More to 29-6 overall.
 
After the Saints stole the first set and grabbed a lead in the second frame, CNU regrouped. Staring at a 19-14 deficit in the second, Katelyn Newsome came through with back-to-back blocks. Although Thomas More eventually responded, Oren and Piper closed out the comeback. Oren blistered two kills to whittle the deficit down to one before Piper caught fire and landed three blasts over the last four rallies to snatch a 25-22 victory.
 
With some momentum, Christopher Newport cruised out to an early edge in the third stanza. Katie Crofford landed an ace, while Riley Garrison stung three kills during the middle of the set to take a 16-10 lead. Fighting back, Thomas More chipped CNU's advantage down to one on multiple occasions, but the Captains always had an answer. Burgess dropped in a late ace to help lock up set-point at 24-20 before Crofford and Garrison teamed up on the clinching block to ice the 25-23 triumph.
 
Trailing in the match, the Saints stormed out to a double-digit advantage in the fourth. Staring at a 15-5 deficit, Crofford clocked three kills during a mid-set surge before Piper came back with a block and blast on two straight rallies later in the frame. Unfortunately, Thomas More never lost its edge as the squad cruised to a 25-16 win.
 
Back on even ground, the Saints inched out to a slim 7-6 lead in the fifth before Christopher Newport unloaded. Newsome and Megan O'Hara joined forces on a block before Lucernoni and Burgess pummeled aces to flip the script and take a 12-8 lead heading into a TMC timeout. Following the break, Burgess helped put the match away quickly as she connected with Piper and Garrison on two late kills to lock up the 15-11 victory.
 
Along with Lucernoni's efforts on the defensive end, which also included a 39-for-40 effort on serve-receive, Crofford starred on the back row as well. The sophomore plucked 12 digs and converted 41 of her 43 reception attempts. She also punched seven kills on the offensive side. Meanwhile, Newsome came through with four blocks, and Garrison helped out on three.
 
---CNU---