Christopher Newport played ten sets of volleyball on Friday, and came away with a loss to Mary Washington before a win over Scranton.

Mary Washington 3, Christopher Newport 2 | (17-25, 25-16, 25-19, 24-26, 12-15)

First Set

The hosting Eagles rallied to take the first set of the match after trailing 14-10. The Captains had built up the lead, but UMW finished the set on a 15-2 run that was aided by attacking errors from CNU, who hit their lowest percentage (.081) of any set in the match. 

Second Set

CNU rebounded in a second set that mirrored the first, with the two sides close early on. But with a 11-10 lead, the Captains finished off the Eagles with a 14-6 run that saw freshmen Megan James, Alyssa Dozier, and Abigail Draper account for seven points. The CNU newcomers played a large part in leveling the score at 1-1.

Third Set

The young Captains once again led the way in the third set. Tied at 17, kills from James and Dozier (and 5th year Mackenzie Wright) put CNU up four. UMW took the next two points, but James drove home two more kills to give CNU a 2-1 lead in the match.

Fourth Set

Christopher Newport jumped out to a 14-4 lead, but Mary Washington countered in taking the next seven points in a row. After some back and forth, Macy Burk's kill tied the match at 21. UMW's Jordan Lyons scored a point off a kill to give the lead back to the Eagles, but two errors put CNU back in front. Each side gave up a point on an error giving the Captains set and match point at 24-23, but a UMW kill and back-to-back CNU errors quickly turned the tide as the Eagles forced the match to a fifth set.

Fifth Set

The Captains got out in front early in the fifth set, with Mackenzie Wright notching two kills and a block as CNU jumped ahead 11-7. But the Captains fell behind as UMW scored eight of the next nine points to take the set and match.

Christopher Newport 3, Scranton 2 | (25-20, 19-25, 19-25, 26-24, 15-12)

First Set

Sammy Carroll and Noelle Starr helped close out a first set win for the Captains. A kill from Carroll was followed by a service ace and a kill from Starr as CNU went ahead early 1-0. 

Second Set

Three straight errors prompted a CNU timeout as the Captains trailed 14-8. The break was helpful, as CNU scored five of the next six, with kills from Abigail Draper, Megan James, Macy Burk, and Maddi Morrison. An ace from Noelle Starr prompted a Scranton timeout, and after that, the Royals were able to get back on track and take the second set.

Third Set

The third set was the closest set yet, with neither side holding more than a three point lead until the very end. Scranton broke a 17-17 tie with two straight points, prompting a CNU timeout. Later, Mackenzie Wright got the Captains back on track with a kill that cut the lead to 20-18, but Scranton closed out the third set with five of the next six points.

Fourth Set

The Captains found their backs against the wall as Coach Birch called a timeout training 23-20. A kill from Macy Burk was followed by two blocks by Alyssa Dozier and a block from Burk put CNU ahead 24-23. After Scranton drew even at 24, kills from Megan James and Dozier won the set for Christopher Newport and forced a deciding fifth set.

Fifth Set

Back-to-back kills from Wright put CNU ahead 11-10 in a close fifth set. After the Royals took the next two points, a service error halted their momentum. Out of a timeout, Wright blocked two Scranton attacks and finished the set and match off with a kill and a Captains victory.

News & Notes

• Christopher Newport is now 1-1 in five-set matches this season, as Friday's matches were the first and second five-set matches of the season.
• Freshman Megan James led the Captains in kills in the first match with a career-best 17.
• Macy Burk paced the Captains with 14 kills in the second match, matching her career high.

Next Up

Christopher Newport is set to face Carnegie Mellon on Saturday in their final match of the weekend. The match is set for 12:00pm and can be streamed live at UMWEagles.com.