Complete Box Score

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- Just one day before the Captains host Salisbury University in the Capital Athletic Conference Semifinals, the 32nd-ranked Christopher Newport women's tennis team battled 13th-ranked Washington & Lee in the regular season finale, falling to the Generals, 8-1. The Captains finished the regular season with a 13-7 overall record, while W&L improved to 11-4 in the victory, and CNU will now turn its attention to the postseason. 

Second-seeded Christopher Newport will host third-seeded Salisbury at 4:00 pm on Tuesday evening. The match will be held at the Eyre Courts on campus, with the winner advancing to play the victor of the other semifinal between #1 Mary Washington and #5 York, also at 4:00 pm.  

In Monday's action against the nationally-ranked opponent, the Captains' lone win came at No. 6 singles where Meili Konell earned a win by retirement in the second set. In the first set, W&L's Emily Kochard snuck away with a 7-5 win over Konell, but could not continue in the second set to secure the CNU team point. 

CNU's Claire Dockrill would retire in the second set at No. 4, in another hotly contested matchup against the Generals' M.H. McNeal. Dockrill forced McNeal into a first-set tiebreaker before falling 7-6 (5). Sophomore Alexandra Drye also won six games in her matchup at No. 5 against Melinda Kauffman, falling in straight sets 6-4, 6-2. 

All three of Washington & Lee's starters at 1-3 came into the match regionally-ranked and secured wins against the Captains as McKinney Harwood, Katie Carlson and Kate Huck suffered losses to #27 Brooke Donnelly (ranked No. 1 in the Atlantic South), Tessa Hill and Michelle Fleenor. 

In doubles play, CNU fell 8-4 in Nos. 1 and 3, while suffering an 8-1 loss at No. 2

With the regular season in the rear view, the Captains can now turn focus on its postseason goals, beginning with a repeat matchup in the CAC Semifinals against Salisbury University. The two teams have played in the semifinal round of the conference tournament in each of the first three seasons that CNU has been in the Capital Athletic Conference, with the teams splitting the first two. This season, CNU captured a 7-2 win over the Sea Gulls in the regular season, sweeping doubles and winning four singles matchups. 

The Captains are looking for a return trip to the CAC Championship and will lean on the doubles teams to get off to a good start. Katie Carlson and McKinney Harwood are regionally ranked at No. 1 and have posted a 12-6 record together this season. In the No. 2 slot, sophomores Alexandra Drye and Emily Morgan lead the team with 14 dual wins, paired with just four losses. Overall, the Captains are 39-21 in doubles this season for a winning percentage of 65%. 

In singles play, Harwood is the team's lone ranked player at No. 1, posting a 6-6 record on the top line. Katie Carlson also has 6 dual victories this season while playing at the top two spots. Versatility in the rest of the lineup has been key, as six different players have registered victories at No. 3, and the trend continues down the lineup. 

Salisbury features a tough senior in the top matchups, as Natalie Savage leads the Sea Gulls. She is the program's all-time leader in both singles and doubles victories and has gone 13-4 at No. 1 singles this season. With partner Zoe Moffat, Savage has also been a tough out in doubles as the twosome are 14-3 in duals this season. 

A full recap and scores will be available at CNUsports.com following the action.