NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- This week, while snow rests on the ground of the Christopher Newport tennis courts, the Captains (4-1) will travel to sunny California for five matches over the next six days. The regionally-ranked Captains will take on three nationally-ranked opponents on the cross country trip to the West Coast, including their next matchup set for March 1 at Pomona-Pitzer. 

CNU will face off against the Sagehens at 12:30 pm Eastern time, as part of a doubleheader on the day for the Captains. Pomona-Pitzer is ranked 11th in the preseason national rankings, and third in the West regional rankings. The Sagehens are 3-2 to start the season, coming off a 5-4 loss to Point Loma. On the same day, the Captains will head across town to Occidental College for a 7:00 pm match. The Tigers are 1-2 to start the 2015 season and started the year ranked 14th in the West Region. 

After taking March 2 off, CNU will be back in action at Biola University at 5:00 pm Eastern on March 3. The Eagles are the lone unranked team on the California slate for CNU, heading into the match against the Captains with a 3-4 overall record. 

The CNU men will round out the trip to the Golden State against a pair of nationally-ranked programs, facing the 21st-ranked Redlands Bulldogs (4-3) and the 19th-ranked Whittier College Poets (1-1) over the last two days of the trip. Redlands captured a 7-2 win over nationally-ranked Brandeis in its last contest, while the Poets will face the Captains conference mates from Mary Washington the day prior to CNU. 

Christopher Newport has had a strong start to the spring, led by rookies David Reed and Justin Cerny. Cerny is off to a 4-1 start in singles action, while Reed is ranked in the preseason for both singles and doubles. 

Full scores and recaps will be available at CNUsports.com