NEWPORT NEWS, Va.--It was a shame someone had to lose. In an early-tournament  battle of two of the top-ten teams in Division III, the #8 Eastern University Eagles dropped a five-set thriller to #5 Christopher Newport University. The two-plus hour match saw both teams put together runs, but the host Captains jumped to a lead in the 5th set and held on to advance to the Regional Final. 

The 725 people in attendance were treated to over two-hours of exceptional competition. It seemed that the match could turn on every point. Each team took shots but refused to go down. Both teams finished with over 110 digs, but in the end, the host Captains were able to take advantage of a big block to secure the win.

"They played great," Eastern Head Coach Mark Birtwistle said of the host Captains, "We played really well as well. I thought we did a lot of great things defensively, but they were able to get some big points at big times. It is a shame this was a second round game." Eastern had won the earlier match between the two squads this year in St. Davids, but Captains took inspiration from a vocal home crowd.

The match opened with the hosts taking a 29-27 first set. The captains led 22-20, but Maria Horning, put away a tip to close the gap to one and then another tip after an extended rally with several remarkable digs to tie the score at 22-22. CNU stole back the momentum with a side-out and an earned point on consecutive Eastern hitting errors, but Reinhold put away a kill on the first swing for a side-out, and the Eagles tied the score at 24 on a ball-handing error. Eastern took a 25-24 on another Reinhold kill, but a serving error tied the score at 25.

Eastern served again for the win at 26-25, but CNU put a big block up to regain the advantage. The Captains finished the opening set with six total blocks.

The second played out like a continuation of the first. Neither team led by more than four points through the entire set, and earned points were at a premium throughout. The Eagles trailed 22-21, and looked to be in some trouble before a big carrying call tied the score at 22. Eastern then turned the tables on the taller CNU squad as Maria Horning and Mary Poole combined on a double block to put the Eagles up 23-22. A ball handling error by the hosts gave the Eagles a set point, and Reinhold put down her 16th kill of the match after an extended rally to tie the set score at 1-1. Nikki Kummerer made a pair of remarkable digs to keep the point alive for Eastern.

The Eagles grabbed a 13-9 lead in the third set, but the Captains scored five straight on a pair of kills and a pair of blocks. Maddie Goldbach delivered a pair of aces help the visitors retake the lead at 18-15 but the Captains responded with four in a row to force an Eastern time-out. A CNU service error tied the score at 19-19, but more importantly helped the Eagles out of a tough rotation. Eastern scored six of the next seven points to take a 2-1 lead on a 25-20 win. Reinhold had another two kills in the final run.

Christopher Newport took the fourth set 25-23. Eastern had a five point lead early, but the Captains tied the score at 19 and the set went back and forth down the stretch. Horning fought off a set point with a remarkable tip, but the Captains were able to side-out to tie the match.

Though the final set ended at 15-9, the early points of the set were some of the best of the match. Reinhold finished an extended rally for a 1-0 lead, but the long points seemed to take their toll on the smaller Eagles. The set stood tied at 5-5, but the Captains took advantage of a tough rotation and carved out a 12-7 lead. The five point edge proved to be too much to overcome in the short set.

Reinhold finished with a match-high 29 kills. She also added 19 digs. The Eagles finished the contest with a season-high 125 digs. Kelly Groff led the way with 33, and Kummerer and Horning added 24 each. Horning finished with 51 assists and a career-high 12 kills. Caitlyn Jansen hit a stunning .404 with 21 kills for the Captains. She also added 10 block assists.

Christopher Newport (37-2) will play Randolph Macon, who upset #9 Colorado College in the other semifinal in the region, tomorrow at 2:00 p.m. The Eagles (30-5) do not have a senior on the roster. This year represents the highest national ranking in the history of the program.