NEWPORT NEWS, Va.- The #4 Juniata women's volleyball team kicked off their season in hostile territory at Christopher Newport University (who were receiving votes in the AVCA preseason poll) and managed to win 3-1 (25-16, 18-25, 25-20, 26-24), Friday evening inside the Freemen Center. 

The first set saw the JC jump ahead 8-3 behind several attack errors from the host, along with kills from a host of Eagles as Audrey Muth, Mackenzie Coley, Olivia Foley, Lily Podolan, and Lexy Bloss each tallied a kill apiece. The Captains pulled even at 9-9 before seven unanswered points from the Eagles made it 16-9. CNU called timeout but couldn't dig out of the hole as Juniata stayed the course to take set one 25-16.  

The second set was the opposite as Juniata trailed 3-11 early and could never claw their way back into the set. Muth got JC back within four at 13-17, but CNU kept Juniata at bay to take their lone set of the match, 18-25. 

Set three saw the Eagles leading 14-8 midway through following a Coley ace, but the Captains didn't back down as they tried to knot things at 2-2. They tied the score at 15-15, as the teams traded points before two straight CNU attack errors made it 19-17, and the Eagles would not relinquish the lead the rest of the way. Kills from Aly Reardon, McKenna Walker, and two from Muth, along with some CNU attack errors, gave JC set three, 25-20. 

Set four saw Juniata trail for most of the set, with the score 13-18 as the Captains were seven points from forcing a fifth set. But the Eagles had other ideas, and they slowly chipped away at the deficit; following a CNU timeout, a crosscourt kill from the right side by Podolan made it 23-23. CNU managed a kill before Podolan came with another to tie things back up. Kiona Sky Rousset-Hernandez went back to the service line and served up an ace to give JC match point. Kennedy Christy finished the match for the Eagles with a kill as they came back to take the set and the match, 26-24. 

The Eagles have a pair of matches tomorrow as they will take on Hollins at 11:00 am before facing Wisconsin-Oshkosh at 3:00.