NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- In an early season top-25 battle at the James River Country Club tennis courts, the 24th-ranked CNU women's tennis team hauled in an historic win over 18th-ranked Washington & Lee University, 5-4. The win is the first in program history over a team ranked in the nation's top 20 and the first ever victory against the Generals.
Christopher Newport now has three victories over top 25 competition in the last four years. CNU downed No. 23 La Verne in 2016, marking the highest rank opponent in a victory for the Captains, and also dispatched of No. 24 Redlands in 2017.
The all-time series against the Generals favored the perennial power in the ODAC by a count of 4-0 heading into Saturday, but the Captains earned their first ever win over Washington & Lee on Saturday by a final score of 5-4. The two teams had matched up in each of the last three seasons and once in 2014.
Playing on a chilly day in Newport News on Sunday, the Captains took a 2-1 lead after doubles play. On the top line, CNU junior
Johanna Ranta-aho and junior transfer
Olivia Reed shut out the Generals' No. 1 tandem, 8-0. In the No. 3 matchup, the Captains also sailed to an 8-1 win as
Kara Ferner and
Colette Gilbert defeated Anna Kreynin and Georgia Wright.
With the early lead, the Captains turned in a pair of early singles wins to take a 4-1 lead in the match. Ranta-aho won by opponent retirement in the No. 1 bout, winning the first set 6-4 before the retirement. At No. 4, Ferner pulled CNU within one point of the match win when she downed Lily Horsley 7-5, 6-1 for her second straight win on the weekend.
Washington & Lee bounced back with wins at 3 and 2, but rookie
Reagan Delp clinched the match for CNU with a pair of tight-set victories over Mary Hampton McNeal. Delp won her match 7-6, 7-5 to push CNU over the edge in the team score, 5-3. The Generals picked up the final team point after
Alison Burgess stretched her opponent to a third set, but it wouldn't matter as Delp's victory clinched the win.
The Captains will return to action a week from Saturday as they travel to New York City to face TCNJ on a neutral court and then take on host New York University, ranked No. 20 in the nation. CNU faces TCNJ on Saturday, February 23 and the host Violets on Sunday, February 23.
