GRANTHAM, Pa. -- The Christopher Newport women's basketball season is set to get underway this weekend as part of a talented field at the Messiah College Tip-Off Tournament, which begins with the Captains taking on The College of New Jersey at 5:30 pm on Friday night to open the 2019-20 campaign. The host Falcons will also face Penn State Lehigh Valley in the nightcap with the winning teams advancing to Saturday's tournament title game at 3:00 pm following the consolation game at 1:00 pm. 

At the close of the 2018-19 season, the Captains were ranked No. 21 in the nation after a 25-6 campaign that ended in the "Sweet 16" of the NCAA Tournament. This year, Christopher Newport opens the season ranked No. 15 in the nation according to the D3hoops.com Top 25 while receiving votes in the WBCA Division III National Rankings. TCNJ comes in also receiving votes in the WBCA Division III poll and Messiah is ranked 10th and 20th in the two respective polls. 

For fans unable to make the trip to Pennsylvania, the Messiah Department of Athletics will provide live stats and a live video webcast of all four games. Links can be found on the women's basketball schedule at CNUsports.com. 

Heading into the opener, the Captains were picked to win the Capital Athletic Conference after capturing the 2019 regular season and tournament championships. Christopher Newport has reached the NCAA Tournament in six of seven seasons under head coach Bill Broderick, who saw his overall record at Christopher Newport improve to 173-37 last season for a winning percentage of 82.4%. 

The bulk of last year's roster returns to the lineup in 2019-20, led by All-Region guard Kiana Kirkland. The lone senior on this year's squad, Kirkland is back following a season in which she led the Captains with 11.9 points per game en route to a first team All-Conference recognition. She also added 57 steals and 53 assists to help lead the way on both ends of the floor. 

While three starters will be missing following graduation, the rookie class from last season made a big impact in their first year and will look to fill in more minutes during their second season as Captains. Leading that group is CAC Rookie of the Year Sondra Fan after averaging 10.3 points per game last season with 62 steals and 64 assists. Three-point marksman Jessica Foster is also back after nailing 79 triples in her first season for the fifth most in a single season in program history. 

The Captains' first game will be against the favorites in the New Jersey Athletic Conference as the Lions are coming off a 19-7 season in 2018-19. TCNJ features Conference Defensive Player of the Year Shannon Devitt after averaging a double-double in her second season with a program record 329 rebounds. The All-Region forward will be joined by fellow All-Conference star Jen Byrne after leading the team with 14.2 points per game. 

On Saturday, Christopher Newport will be faced with either the host Messiah Falcons, who went 28-2 last season and reached the NCAA Sweet 16, or Penn State Lehigh Valley, a 25-win team from a year ago that reached the USCAA Final Four.