Riley Garrison
Benjamin Leistensnider
1
Chris. Newport CNU 3-5
3
Winner Calvin Calvin 3-0
Chris. Newport CNU
3-5
1
Final
3
Calvin Calvin
3-0
Winner
Set Scores
Team 1 2 3 4 F
Chris. Newport CNU 25 23 14 21 (1)
Calvin Calvin 23 25 25 25 (3)
3
Winner Chris. Newport CNU 4-5
0
Messiah Mess 8-2
Winner
Chris. Newport CNU
4-5
3
Final
0
Messiah Mess
8-2
Set Scores
Team 1 2 3 F
Chris. Newport CNU 25 25 25 (3)
Messiah Mess 18 17 21 (0)

Game Recap: Volleyball | | Scott Harris

Volleyball Defeats Messiah 3-0, Falls to #2 Calvin 3-1

GRANTHAM, Pa. - Captains Volleyball, receiving votes in the latest AVCA national rankings, went 1-1 on the final day of the Messiah Invitational, falling 3-1 (25-23, 23-25, 14-25, 21-25) in a competitive match against #2 Calvin College while rolling to a 3-0 victory (25-18, 25-17, 25-21) over Messiah College.

Christopher Newport improves their record to 4-6 while Calvin goes to 8-0. Messiah, who was undefeated coming into the invitational, drops to 8-2.

The Captains took the first game against Calvin 25-23, only the second game the Knights have lost thus far this season in eight matches. The first game was tightly contested, and with the Captains leading 11-10, they scored the next three points to go up 14-10 and would lead by as many as five at 17-12. The lead remained in CNU's favor at four points, 20-16, as Calvin would call a timeout. The break proved to be effective as Calvin came out of it scoring the next three markers to cut the lead to 20-19, forcing the Captains to resort to a timeout to regroup. 

After dropping two of the next three points, CNU was forced into another timeout tied at 21-21. Calvin tallied the next point to go ahead by one, but the Captains took the next two to regain a one-point lead, 23-22. Calvin tied it on the next play, but Katie Piper and Riley Garrison would team for a block of Heidi Westra than Tiaralyn McBride, who subbed in before the next play, came in and delivered game-point on a service ace as a diving Grace Kellogg could not get to the ball in time.

Calvin gradually began to pull away in the second set and led by eight on several occasions, the last coming at 23-15, but the Captains staged a furious rally to get within on. The run started on an Aubrey Wrubel service error, then Riley Garrison and Carroll record two blocks followed by a Katie Crofford ace to trim the deficit to four, 23-19. The Knights took the next point, but CNU rattled off four consecutive points, getting kills from Katie Piper and Sammy Carroll along with an ace for McBride, as CNU trailed just 24-23. The comeback ended on the next play though as Heidi Westra spiked in a kill for game point.

Calvin won the third set by double digits and denied any attempts at a CNU comeback, but the fourth game proved to be every bit as competitive and back and forth as the first two with neither team leading by more than three until the final point. With CNU leading 17-15, Calvin reeled off four of the next five to go ahead 19-18, but Abby Oren, Megan O'Hara, and Riley Garrison contributed three of the game's next four points to put CNU back up 21-20. Calvin's Sarah DeVries took over from there as Calvin scored the next five, three via DeVries kills.

Katie Piper led CNU's offense with 12 kills to go with an ace, two blocks, and five digs. Riley Garrison hammered in eight kills while recording seven blocks, one solo. Katie Crofford contributed seven kills, four aces, and eight digs. Sammy Carroll tallied 35 assists, five kills, and three blocks. Hope Webb notched nine digs while Rebecca Frey had a team-high 12 digs.

Messiah proved to be no match for Christopher Newport. The Captains raced out to a 9-3 lead in the first set. After Messiah rebounded to cut the lead to 9-7, CNU scored the next five points to go up 14-7. The lead would remain at least five the rest away. While CNU led 24-12, the host Falcons did make things interesting with six consecutive points, but the lead proved to be insurmountable as Riley Garrison recorded a kill for the final point, 25-18.

The second set proved to be closer for much of the way with CNU the game being played within a two-point margin thru the first 33 points with CNU ahead 17-16. However, The Falcons were limited to just one point the rest of the game as the Captains tallied eight of the last nine points for the 25-17 win. 

The final set was competitive to the very end. CNU led 17-12, but Messiah cut the lead down to one on several occasions - 17-16, 19-18, and 20-19. Following a Messiah kill to make it 20-19, Abby Oren and Riley Garrison combined for a block then Hope Webb smashed back to back aces to go up 23-19. Messiah won to of the next three points, both via service error, but Katie Piper would deliver the kill shot for set and match point, 25-21.

Garrison delivered 12 kills on a .667 hitting percentage with two blocks while Crofford had 11 kills, hitting .579, with two aces. Piper contributed eight kills, three blocks, and seven digs. Hope Webb tallied out five aces and four digs. Sammy Carroll totaled 25 assists, two aces, and seven digs. Abby Oren tacked on six kills and three rejections. Rebecca Frey had a team-high 12 digs while Makenzie Wright led the team in blocks with four.

The Captains return home for a 7 pm match on Tuesday vs. William Peace University.
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