HUNTINGDON, Pa. - No. 25 Christopher Newport topped Carnegie Mellon 3-1 at the Asics Invitational on Friday afernoon after dropping their first match of the tournament to No. 1 Juniata.

No. 1 Juniata 3, No. 25 Christopher Newport 0 | (25-19, 25-14, 26-24)

First Set

Alli Pratt and Samantha Dorn got the Captains out to a good start with CNU's first three kills to give them an early lead. But Juniata was able to stack several points in a row to gain a sizable advantage. The Captains fought back to cut the lead down to five, but Juniata went on and claimed the first set of the match.

Second Set

The Captains managed to fight back from an early deficit with kills from Alyssa Dozier, Samantha Dorn, and two from Kyla McIntyre and trailed by just one point. But Juniata rolled off six straight to put them on their way to winning the second set.

Third Set

The Captains trailed 23-18 in the third set, but that's when Sammy Carroll and Samantha Dorn's kills brought on a five point run that tied the score at 23. The two sides traded points, but it was Juniata who would manage to get two points in a row to win the extended third set.

No. 25 Christopher Newport 3, RV Carnegie Mellon 1 | (28-26, 23-25, 25-18, 25-19)

First Set

A kill from Samantha Dorn tied the score at 16. Her ace gave CNU the lead and kills from Sammy Carroll and Kyla McIntyre put the Captains up by three. The Tartans took the next five points, but another kill from Dorn stopped the run. Two kills from Alyssa Dozier helped the Captains regain the lead and Dorn registered two more kills before a Carnegie Mellon attack went wide to mark the first set for CNU.

Second Set

CNU battled back from seven down to get within one point. Kills from Dozier and two from Dorn helped the Captains get within striking distance. Aces from Carroll and Julia Gleason helped CNU keep pace, but they could never overtake Carnegie Mellon. In the end, it was the Tartans who took the second set and evened the match score.

Third Set

An errant serve from the Tartans returned the serve to Christopher Newport as they trailed 18-17. That service error was the start of a nine point run that saw the Captains take the third set. Sammy Carroll did not give up her serve and set up two kills to Dozer, two to Dorn, and a final kill to Simara Alexander who delivered the final blow in the third set.

Fourth Set

Two early kills from Samantha Dorn put CNU out in front, and they held that lead all the way through the fourth set. Dorn would finish the set with five and led CNU with 21 in the match. Alyssa Dozier's fourth kill of the fourth set brought up match point for the Captains, and one final Carnegie Mellon attack went wide to help the Captains take the victory.

News & Notes

• Freshman Samantha Dorn led the Captains in kills in both matches, including a season-high 21 in the win over Carnegie Mellon.
• The Captains defense stifled the Tartans as they held Carnegie Mellon to the lowest hitting percentage (.130) of any CNU opponent this season.

Next Up

Christopher Newport faces off with No. 10 Berry on Saturday at 1:30 p.m. in their final match of the Asics Invitational.