The University of Mary Washington volleyball team dropped a five-game decision at top-seeded Christopher Newport University on Saturday in the 2017 Capital Athletic Conference Championship. The Eagles drop to 19-10 on the season. Game scores were 26-28, 25-18, 25-19, 13-25, 15-10.

The early going in game one was wild and back and forth. The Captains started by gaining an 8-4 lead, only to see UMW answer with kills from Tenley Hares, Savannah Powers, and Peyton Dunow to tie the score at 8-8. From there, CNU ripped off five straight points to grab a 13-8 lead. UMW trailed, 18-14, before a pair of kills from Hares and Skyler Sisk kick started a run that led to a 22-20 Eagle advantage. The Eagles trailed 25-24, before scoring four of the final five points in a 28-26 victory.

The second game remained close in the early going, as neither team led by more than three until CNU grabbed an 11-7 advantage. A kill from Dunow and an attack error cut the deficit to 11-9, and the Eagles cut the margin to one at 17-16. But the Captains reeled off a game-high seven straight points to take control en route to a 25-18 win.

Action in the third game was tight early on, as the Eagles held onto a 5-4 advantage. But the Captains again went on a huge run, scoring eight straight to lead, 12-5. The Captains held the lead, with UMW coming no closer than five the rest of the way in a 25-19 defeat.

In the fourth, junior Leslie Walters came back strong from an in-game injury in the fourth to motivate the Eagles, and her efforts were key. Kills from Sisk, Powers, and Hares built a 6-1 advantage, and the Eagles kept rolling, even after CNU momentarily gained a 7-6 advantage, scoring eight straight to build a 14-7 lead. Dunow had three kills in the run. UMW scored six of the final seven points of the game en route to a 25-13 victory.

In the fifth, the Eagles took a 2-1 lead before the Captains rolled to a key six-point run for a 7-2 advantage. After the teams traded points, the Eagles scored three straight to cut the margin to 8-6. UMW used kills from Powers and Hares to cut the margin to 11-10, but the Captains rallied for four straight in gaining the title.

The Eagles were led by Dunow, who scored 17 kills, while Hares added 12, Powers 11 and Walters nine. Freshman Wren Berry recorded 49 assists, while Jenna Yost had 30 digs, with Mackenzie Brewer adding 23, and Dunow 17.