HOBOKEN, N.J. -- The 24th-ranked Christopher Newport volleyball team split a pair of five-set marathons on the final day of the Ducks Classic as the Captains fell to Stevens, 3-2 (15-25, 27-25, 25-15, 22-25, 15-6), before bouncing back for a top-25 victory over No. 19 Eastern, 3-2 (17-25, 25-19, 22-25, 25-20, 15-6), on Saturday afternoon at the Canavan Arena.
 
With the split, Christopher Newport now stands at 9-2 on the season. Stevens, who received votes in the latest AVCA National Coaches Poll, improves to 11-2, while Eastern is now 8-4.
 
During the twin bill, Katelyn Newsome led the Captains with 26 kills and contributed four blocks. Katie Crofford also had 23 kills and 20 digs, while Abby Oren contributed 20 blasts and pocketed 20 digs as well. Meanwhile, on the back row, Josie Lucernoni averaged 5.40 digs per set and pieced together a starring performance in the opener against Stevens.
 
In the first match of the day, Lucernoni was simply tremendous on the back row for CNU. The junior libero established a new career high with 29 digs. She was also 47-for-48 on serve-receive. Overall, her 48 reception attempts equaled the most by a Captain since four-time All-American Abby Hogge was patrolling the court in 2012.
 
Equally effective on the defensive end, Katie Piper was a perfect 16-for-16 on serve-receive and picked up 10 digs. Oren also chipped in with 10 digs, marking the first double-digit total of her young career. Additionally, the freshman converted all seven of her reception attempts and pumped six kills without an error against the Ducks.
 
Along the net, Newsome carried a heavy load on the offensive end as the senior drilled a career-high 18 kills. Piper also contributed nine blasts and added a highlight-reel assist. Capping off a lengthy rally in the second set, the sophomore made a diving save on the back row before Tylar McGill hit the court herself and flicked the ball over the net into open spaces.
 
In addition to her kill, McGill dished out 22 assists, while Hope Webb added a team-high 24 helpers and blasted a pair of aces. She also dropped in three kills on five attempts during a well-rounded performance.

In the nightcap against 19th-ranked Eastern, CNU battled back from a two-sets-to-one deficit to snatch the top-25 victory. During the game-changing fourth frame, Tiaralyn McBride hammered an ace and won four straight rallies from the service line to break an 18-18 deadlock on the way to a 25-20 triumph.

In the fifth and final set, the Captains capitalized on a six-point streak late in the stanza to run away with the 15-6 triumph. During the late rally, Ashley Burgess dropped in a pair of aces while keeping the Eagles on their heels. Later, Lucernoni was nearly perfect on the penultimate rally, collecting three digs, including a great save after a shot deflected off the roof.

Overall, Lucernoni finished with a match-high 25 digs while converting 18 of her 19 reception attempts. She also dished out eight assists. Equally effective on both sides of the ball, Crofford and Oren both contributed double-doubles in the nationally-ranked showdown. Crofford had 16 kills and 11 digs, while Oren contributed 14 and 10. Oren was also a pristine 18-for-18 on serve-receive.

Helping pace the attack, Burgess chipped in with a team-high 19 assists, while McGill handed out 12 helpers. Riley Garrison also knocked in nine kills and played a role in three of the squad's eight blocks. Megan O'Hara also assisted on four rejections against Eastern.
 
The Captains will return to action on Wednesday when the squad heads to Bridgewater for a 7 p.m. tilt.
 
---CNU---