NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- Christopher Newport freshman Fielding Croft registered the most assists by a Captain in the rally-scoring era with a record-breaking 64 against Salisbury on Saturday night as the Christopher Newport volleyball team split a pair of matches on the final day of the Coast-to-Coast Invitational. CNU defeated the University of Mary Washington in straight sets before falling to Salisbury University in a match that went the distance.

In the afternoon, CNU hit .341 and never trailed in a 3-0 win (25-19, 25-12, 25-16) over the Eagles. Alyssa Dozier led a balanced offense with 10 kills on a .563 hitting percentage.

In the nightcap, the Captains dropped a thriller to the Sea Gulls 3-2 (25-21, 21-25, 22-25, 33-31, 15-13). The overall score in points was 116-115 in Salisbury's favor.

Against Mary Washington, Simara Alexander had nine kills (.467) and Simone Schaefer added six (.625). In addition to five kills, freshman Emmy Carpenedo had a career-high five aces along with eight digs.

Although it never led, Mary Washington stayed close in the first set and trailed 18-15. But the Captains closed with a 7-1 run.

CNU scored 11 of the final 14 points of the second set to go up 2-0. The Captains then put away the third set behind four kills by Alexander and three each from Carpenedo and Schaefer.

After CNU (16-7) and Salisbury split the first two sets, the Captains scored five of the final seven points to take a 2-1 lead. That set up an epic fourth set, which went down to the wire and then some.

Like the second set, the score was tied at 20. It was back-and-forth from there with each team having four set points. The Sea Gulls converted on their fourth to get the win.

In the fifth and final set, Salisbury took the lead for good at 5-4 and held on to avenge a 3-1 loss to the Captains in Salisbury, Md., on Oct. 8.

Samantha Dorn had an outstanding performance with 20 kills (4 per set) on a .447 hitting percentage with six digs and four aces. It marked the second 20-kill performance of her career and fell just one shy of her career-high set in her rookie campaign against Carnegie Mellon on September 8, 2023. Dozier had 18 kills (.286) and four blocks, Carpenedo had 12 kills along with three aces and Avery Hanly added 10 (.421).

Fielding Croft had 64 assists, 12.8 per set. It was her second 60-assist performance of the season and she becomes just the fourth CNU player, and first freshman, ever to log multiple 60-assist efforts in her career. She joins Michelle Masco (1986), Nina Richardson (2000), and Sammy Carroll (2021) in the elite club. 

CNU will return to action Friday night at Marymount University in Arlington.