FREDERICKSBURG, Va. -- On the first day of the C2C Invitational hosted by Mary Washington, the Christopher Newport volleyball team saw it's six-match win streak snapped against UC Santa Cruz (8-6) as the Banana Slugs captured a 3-0 win over the Captains. CNU fell to 11-5 overall with the loss at Ron Rosner Arena.
In the setback, senior
Carley Coghill led the way with seven kills on 18 swings while
Jasmine Williams also added a team-high seven kills for the Captains. Sophomore
Emmy Carpenedo led the team with 12 digs while senior
Maddie Hanes also added 11 digs for the CNU defense.
The matchup fell for the Banana Slugs by a final score of 25-17, 25-23, 25-17. UC Santa Cruz never trailed in the match as Christopher Newport was forced to play from behind in each of the three sets.
In set number one, the Captains battled back and forth through the first 10 points before a surge by the Banana Slugs made it 14-10 and CNU could not claw back in. The early momentum was led by Williams, who fired back-to-back kills to even the score at five points apiece. She added a third kill in the set to end the mini-run by the Banana Slugs, but the California-based team pulled away for a 25-17 win.
The second set featured an early six-point burst that put the Captains at arm's length, but CNU did a tremendous job of rallying to make it close halfway through. Facing a 15-9 deficit, the Captains scored seven of the next nine points to close within one point, 17-16. Carpenedo unleashed an ace and
Maddie Hanes added two of her own to claw back to within one. The teams traded scoring runs and the Captains faced match point, 24-20, before rattling off three straight points to force a timeout. Out of the break, though, the Banana Slugs finished off the set, 25-23, to cinch the momentum swing.
The Banana Slugs opened up another big lead in the third, but again CNU responded late with a big run that proved just too little, too late for the Captains. Facing a 21-7 deficit, CNU registered a 10-3 run to get back within seven.
Simara Alexander had two kills and an ace in the late burst, while
Avery Hanly also had a pair of aces.
In the loss, CNU registered 29 total kills with 27 assists.
Lauren Hobbs had a team-high 15 assists and
Fielding Croft added 11 helpers.
Christopher Newport will look to bounce back on Saturday against the host Mary Washington Eagles at 4:00 p.m.
