Colorado College came from behind to defeat No. 21 Christopher Newport University on Thursday afternoon in the first round of the NCAA Division III Tournament in San Antonio, Texas.

 

Sophomore middle blocker Emily Perkins had match-highs of 22 kills and 26 digs, while senior outside hitter Anna Clithero added 16 kills and 14 digs, to lead CC to the 23-25, 25-18, 17-25, 25-15, 15-12 victory.

 

“We made some adjustments and dominated Set 4, and carried that momentum into the fifth set,” said head coach Rick Swan. “We started setting Emily more and she took control in the fourth set.”

 

The victory was CC's first in the postseason since defeating Gallaudet University (26-30, 30-20, 30-16, 30-23) in the first round of the 2004 tournament at the University of La Verne. The Tigers are now 8-17 all-time in the tournament.

 

“This group, especially the seniors, has never experienced a tournament victory and they wanted it bad,” Swan said. “We played great side-out volleyball."

 

The last time Colorado College played a five-set match in the tournament was 1999 when the Tigers came from behind to defeat Cal State East Bay (15-9, 14-16, 8-15, 15-8, 15-6). CC has won its last two five-set playoff matches after dropping its first five.

 

The Tigers improved to 27-11 and will face the region's top seed, No. 2-ranked Emory University, on Friday at 4:30 p.m. CT. The Captains finished the season with a 33-7 record.

 

“We like the matchup with Emory,” Swan said. “They're a great program, but we're a good team as well. If we play our game and pass the ball well, we'll be in the thick of things.”

 

CC's current total of 27 victories ties this year's team with the 1981 and 2003 squads for the fourth-most victories in a single-season.