NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- The Christopher Newport University women's tennis team, ranked 15th in the Atlantic South ITA Preseason Regional Rankings, will carry its 4-1 start into a difficult road trip, or rather, flight, to California. The Captains are headed across the country to take on five teams from the Golden State, including three ranked nationally in the preseason poll. 

CNU will play five matches over the next six days, starting with a match against the regionally-ranked Banana Slugs of UC Santa Cruz at Noon Saturday. Santa Cruz is ranked 14th in the West and is off to a 2-4 start this season. The match will begin at 3:00 pm Eastern, or Noon locally on the West Coast. 

The Captains will then move on to play the Mills College Cyclones at 1:00 pm Eastern on Sunday, March 1. CNU will continue its tour of California in the San Francisco Bay area, taking on the Cyclones, who have opened the 2015 season with an 0-3 start. 

After a day of rest and travel to the southern part of the state, CNU will rev up the competition as they face three straight nationally-ranked opponents. First, on March 3, the Captains will take on the University of Redlands at 6:00 pm Eastern. The Bulldogs are off to a 3-0 start, coming off a 9-0 shutout of Caltech on February 21. Redlands is ranked fourth in the West and 19th in the nation -- the ITA is scheduled to release new rankings on March 3. 

The University of La Verne Leopards (5-0) are also ranked in the preseason, hauling in a top 15 national ranking to start the season. La Verne is pegged as the third best team in the West, and is coming off a dominant 8-1 win over regionally-ranked Cal Lutheran on the road. 

Closing out the trip, CNU will face 38th-ranked Whittier College on March 6 at 5:00 pm Eastern. The Poets have started the spring with a 2-4 overall record, but will have five more matches before facing off against the Captains. 

Christopher Newport is off to a strong start with all five of their matches coming at home this spring, posting four shutouts to start the year. The Captains are led by sophomore Logan Eldridge, named CAC Player of the Week after a 5-0 start in singles and doubles. Full scores and recaps will be available at CNUsports.com.