NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- The 24th-ranked Christopher Newport volleyball team upended 9th-ranked Juniata, 3-2 (18-25, 25-19, 25-27, 25-19, 15-6), during a grueling top-25 battle on Friday evening at the Freeman Center.
                    
During the contest, Abby Oren and Katie Crofford both registered double-doubles to pace the Captains. Oren notched a team-high 16 digs and 13 kills, while Crofford contributed 13 digs and 10 kills. Meanwhile, Katelyn Newsome was equally effective on both sides of the ball. The senior collected a match-high six blocks and dropped in 11 kills while hitting .381.
 
With the victory, Christopher Newport improves to 11-2 on the season. The setback drops Juniata to 7-4.
 
The Captains trailed twice in the match after dropping the first and third sets but battled back against the nationally-ranked Eagles. After knotting the match with a fourth-set triumph, which featured six kills by Oren and three by Katie Piper, the two squads settled in for a fateful fifth frame.
 
In the final stanza, Tiaralyn McBride connected on an early ace and helped CNU grab the first four rallies. Later, kills by Oren, Megan O'Hara, and Riley Garrison helped push the lead to 11-4 entering a Juniata timeout. Following the stoppage, the Captains picked up right where they left off and ran away with the victory.
 
After a pair of Juniata miscues gave CNU a comfortable 13-6 lead, McBride finished what she started. The freshman took over at the line and helped lock up the final two rallies, including an assist on a kill by Piper, to seal the 15-6 win.
 
Overall, McBride finished the match with four aces, while Crofford contributed three winners. Oren and Tylar McGill also pumped a pair of aces as the Captains stung the Eagles 11 times from the service line. Meanwhile, McGill also handed out a team-high 19 assists, while Ashley Burgess posted her second straight double-digit effort with 14 helpers. Hope Webb chipped in with 12 assists as well.
 
On the back row, Josie Lucernoni secured her 10th straight double-digit dig outing after pocketing 10 during the marathon match. She also converted 28 of her 29 reception attempts, while Oren was 26-for-28 on serve-receive.
 
Between the squad's back-row defense and front-row blocking, Christopher Newport held Juniata to a .189 hitting percentage, including a -.050 mark in the fifth set.
 
The Captains will return to action tomorrow for a pair of matches on the final day of the CNU Invitational. Christopher Newport hosts Roger Williams at 11 a.m. before battling Wesleyan at 1 p.m.
 
---CNU---