Milwaukee, Wis. -- Christopher Newport rallied from being down 2-0 to win the three sets in a row and take home the Coast-to-Coast Athletic Conference Championship in an instant classic. The Captains will return home with their 17th conference title in program history and will make an NCAA tournament appearance for the 14th consecutive tournament.

First Set (Sea Gulls 25-22)

The Captains' senior attackers started out the match strong with Maddie Carter and Mackenzie Wright combining for 11 kills in the first set. Seven of those came during a 11-0 run for the Captains who pulled away from Salisbury 18-12. But the Sea Gulls got up off the mat and responded with a 9-1 run of their own to retake the lead. Salisbury remained hot after their run and took the first set.

Second Set (Sea Gulls 31-29)

The second set was a marathon that saw the Sea Gulls outlast the Captains. After Mackenzie Wright drove home her fourth of five kills this set to tie the score at 20, CNU took four of the next five to reach set point. But Salisbury responded by promptly scoring four straight points to force a set point of their own. The two sides went back and forth until a service error was followed by an attack error for the Captains, setting up Salisbury to deliver the set-clinching point and take a 2-0 lead in the match.

Third Set (Captains 25-21)

The Captains buckled down in the third set to hold Salisbury to a .071 hitting percentage. But CNU had hitting troubles of their own and found themselves trailing 18-15. Mackenzie Wright helped the Captains take four of the next five points with two kills and two blocks. In all, it was a 10-3 swing for the Captains as they made quick work of the Sea Gulls to close out the third set and keep their season alive.

Fourth Set (Captains 25-17)

Noelle Starr helped the Captains start the fourth set off right with three straight aces. The Captains dominated the set with nine kills and just one error. Starr added another ace later in the set and finished the match with a team-best five. She also came through with a kill late in the set to bring the Captains to set point. A Sea Gull service error ended the set and forced a fifth set to decide a conference champion.

Fifth Set (Captains 21-19)

Neither team led by more than three in a hotly contested fifth set. The Captains were led by Wright, who had five kills in the final set, and Carter who finished with seven kills in the fifth set. The two senior attackers accounted for all 12 of the Captains' kills in the fifth set. The Sea Gulls forced the first match point, leading 14-13, but proceeded to commit two errors and give the Captains a set point before tying the match again at 15. Wright's fifth kill gave the Captains a 18-17 lead, but the Sea Gulls took the next two points to threaten again with a 19-18 advantage. Finally, back-to-back errors set up a fitting end to the match as Maddie Carter hit the final kill of the match to win a conference title for Christopher Newport.

News & Notes

• Maddie Carter and Mackenzie Wright finished the match tied with a team-best 22 kills, a career high for both of them. 
• The Captains combined for 63 kills, their third-highest total of the season. 
• Macy Burk led the Captains with a career-high six blocks.
• CNU posted 99 digs in the match today, their highest mark of the season, with Rebecca Frey (21) and Anna Dean (20) leading the way. Cassie McShaffrey also contributed 19 digs, her career high. 
• For the third time in five matches, Sammy Carroll eclipsed the 50 assist mark. The junior has accomplished this five times in total this season.

Next Up

Christopher Newport will await the official announcement to find out when and where they'll open the NCAA tournament. The first match will take place on Friday, November 12th.