Christopher Newport fought hard but couldn't fend off UC Santa Cruz, falling 3-1 in their final match of the C2C Invitational on Sunday afternoon.
First Set
The Captains raced out to a 7-2 lead thanks to aces from
Alyssa Vitale and
Samantha Dorn.
Alyssa Dozier contributed four early kills to help extend CNU's advantage to 16-8. However, UC Santa Cruz mounted a comeback and won the necessary 17 points to take the first set 25-20.
Second Set
CNU bounced back in the second set, fueled by kills from Dozier,
Megan James,
Kyla McIntyre, and Dorn. The Captains built a 15-11 lead before UC Santa Cruz responded with three quick points. Christopher Newport took control with a 10-2 run, highlighted by back-to-back kills from Vitale and
Alli Pratt, clinching the set 25-16.
Third Set
The Captains started strong in the third set, with Dozier,
Avery Hanly, and Dorn combining to put CNU up 11-7.
Kensie Price served her second ace of the match before setting up Pratt for another kill. However, UC Santa Cruz responded with an eight-point run to take the lead.
Megan James hit three late kills, but the Captains couldn't complete the comeback as the Banana Slugs won the set 25-18.
Fourth Set
Dozier continued her dominant performance in the fourth set with three of the Captains' first five kills. James served three aces to give CNU a 23-18 lead, and a kill from Pratt put the Captains on the brink at 24-22. But UC Santa Cruz rallied to win three straight points to take the lead before a missed serve tied the set at 25. The Banana Slugs closed out the match with the final two points, winning the set 27-25 and the match 3-1.
News & Notes
Up Next
CNU travels to Lexington to take on Washington & Lee in their second midweek match of the season. The Captains and Generals will square off starting at 6:00 PM.
