FREDERICKSBURG, Va. -- On Sunday, the Christopher Newport University men's tennis team will make its first ever appearance in the Capital Athletic Conference Championship, taking on 15-time defending conference champions, the University of Mary Washington. The Eagles (19-5) are ranked 18th in the nation and will host the Captains, ranked 37th nationally, at 3:00 pm on Sunday afternoon.

The Captains seek their first conference tournament title under the direction of head coach Eric Christiansen, and the first for the program since 2008.  CNU is 13-10 overall this season and is coming off a hard-fought win over second-seeded Salisbury in the CAC Semifinals, dropping the Sea Gulls, 5-4, on the road. 

This season, the Captains have showcased a talented group of underclassmen that will vie for the conference championship against a veteran Eagles squad. Rookies David Reed and Justin Cerny have led the way this season, while sophomore Arttu Fiva has come up in big spots throughout the year. Cerny leads the team in singles wins with 15, while Reed and Fiva have each collected 13 wins in dual play. Freshman Max Katcher has also posted double figure wins, grabbing wins in 12 of his singles matches this spring. 

In doubles play, CNU's lone junior Chiraag Shetty has paired with sophomore Steven Boslet for an impressive 13 wins, including one over a regionally-ranked opponent. The Captain's No. 2 pairing has a 3-1 mark against CAC competition this spring. 

The opponent in Sunday's conference championship match is a formidable one, as the Eagles won 46 straight regular season matches and have not lost the CAC Championship since 1999. This season, Mary Washington has won nearly 78% of their doubles matches, and over 75% of their singles opportunities. Head coach Todd Helbling has done some mixing and matching in doubles play, but at No. 1 doubles, features one of the most dominant pairings in the region. Ranked #2 in the Atlantic South, seniors Tyler Carey and Evan Charles are 12-6 this season. 

In singles play, Carey plays at the top line, compiling 11 wins this Spring, while juniors Stratton Gilmore and David Lunding-Johansson round out the top three positions for Mary Washington. Lunding-Johansson has one of the best records in the CAC, going 15-4 between No. 2 and 3 singles this season. 

Full scores and a recap will be available following the action at CNUsports.com.