NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- The 2019-20 version of the Christopher Newport women's basketball schedule was officially released on Thursday afternoon as head coach Bill Broderick embarks on his eighth season at the helm starting November 8. 

The Captains are coming off a 25-6 season that saw them advance to the NCAA Sweet 16 for the sixth time in seven seasons under Broderick. Christopher Newport wrapped up the 18-19 season ranked No. 21 in the nation in the WBCA Division III Coaches Poll and have finished in the Top 25 in each of the last four seasons. 

This year's campaign will feature a heavy workload of non-conference opponents as the Capital Athletic Conference schedule shrinks to just ten games, all played after the calendar flips to 2020. Christopher Newport will participate in four in-season tournaments hosted by Messiah, Bridgewater, Stevens, and St. Mary's (Md.) and will play the bulk of their schedule on the road with 17 matchups away from the Freeman Center in the regular season. 

Messiah finished the year ranked No. 6 in the nation after reaching the NCAA sectionals last season and could potentially be a team the Captains face in the first tournament of the season. Christopher Newport will open against TCNJ on November 8 in the Falcons Tip-Off Tournament, with game two on Saturday against either the hosts or their game one opponent, Penn State Lehigh Valley. 

After opening on the road, Christopher Newport will welcome North Carolina Wesleyan College for the home opener on November 13 at 7:00 pm. Following that contest, the Captains hit the road again for four straight games as they travel to the Laura Mapp Classic hosted by Bridgewater College on November 16-17 and then on to Raleigh, N.C. for a pair the following week. Christopher Newport will take on Washington & Lee and Bridgewater in the tournament before facing William Peace and Meredith on November 20 and 23, respectively. 

With six of the first seven games coming on the road, the Captains will come home for two of three non-conference bouts from November 26-December 7. First, the 19-20 squad will host Methodist on Tuesday evening before a trip to Stevenson on December 1. Then, Randolph-Macon will travel to the Freeman Center on the 7th for a 2:00 pm tip against the Captains. 

Wrapping up non-conference play, Christopher Newport will travel to Virginia Wesleyan on December 15 before taking on a pair of tough tournament appearances over the holidays. The first will feature a marquee matchup with national power Tufts University at 7:00 pm on December 28 at the Stevens Institute of Technology Classic. The Jumbos finished the season ranked No. 5 nationally and have made six consecutive Elite Eight appearances. On day two, the Captains will take on the host Ducks of Stevens to close out the calendar year. Then, in the first week of January, Christopher Newport will face Susquehanna and Concordia-Chicago at the St. Mary's (Md.) Classic to close out out of league play. 

The conference schedule will feature home-and-home series with each of the five conference opponents this season, starting with a home game against York (Pa.) on January 10. The Captains have finished either first or second in league play in all but one season under coach Broderick and are coming off the program's second Capital Athletic Conference Championship last season. The Captains have won two of the last three titles and have reached the NCAA Tournament for four straight seasons for the first time in program history. 

Leading the returning unit is All-Region senior Kiana Kirkland after averaging a team-high 11.9 points per game last season. CAC Rookie of the Year Sondra Fan ranked third on the team with 10.3 points per game and returns for her second season alongside record-breaking three-point shooter Jessica Foster after opening her career with 79 made triples last season.