NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- In what turned out to be eight sets of volleyball in a five-hour window, No. 21 Christopher Newport University gave all it had but ended up losing to Bridgewater College and 12^th-ranked Trinity (Texas) University in the Captains Challenge Friday. In the first matchup, senior Alyssa Dozier eclipsed the historic 1,000-kill mark and became just the fourth player in program history to record 1,000 kills and 400 blocks in her career. 
 
CNU rallied from two sets down in the opener, but Bridgewater was able to hold on for a 26-24, 25-22, 21-25, 19-25, 15-11 afternoon win in the Freeman Center. The match lasted two hours and 38 minutes with 213 points played.
 
Dozier reached her 1,000^th career kill in the second set. She finished with 17 and a .400 hitting percentage. Samantha Dorn led the Captains (2-3) with a season-high 21, and freshman Fielding Croft had 33 assists.
 
In the nightcap, following an 82-minute break, the Tigers defeated CNU 25-18, 25-17, 25-18. Dozier added 11 kills to her career total, which is now 1,023. Dorn had five and Carley Coghill four.
 
Against Bridgewater, the Captains came out strong in the first set and took a 24-20 lead on a kill by freshman Emmy Carpenedo. But the Eagles scored the next six points for a 26-24 win.
 
The second set was back and forth with four lead changes and 10 ties. Bridgewater took the lead for good at 21-20 and held on for a 25-22 win.
 
In the third, CNU took control with an 8-0 run sparked by three Dozier kills and stayed alive with a 25-21 win. The Captains took the fourth 25-19 to force a deciding set.
 
Bridgewater took the fifth set 15-11 thanks largely to a .389 hitting percentage.
 
Against Trinity (4-1), CNU stayed close in each set before Trinity put them away with deciding runs. In the first, the Captains trailed 19-17 and were serving. But the Tigers answered with a 5-0 run.
 
In the second, a 6-0 Trinity run took its lead from 15-14 to 21-14. In the third, CNU went from ahead 12-11 to behind 18-13 in an eight-point span.
 
CNU's final match in the Captains Challenge will be Saturday at 1 p.m. against William Paterson. The Pioneers (2-3) lost to Trinity 3-1 Friday afternoon at the Freeman Center.