ORANGE, Calif. -- In the first of four matches in the Golden State this week, the Christopher Newport men's tennis team captured a 5-4 win at Chapman University (2-1) on Sunday morning. Rookie Alec Strause earned wins in both singles and doubles to lead the way for the Captains. 

Christopher Newport improved to 2-2 on the season with the first win of their annual trip to California. 

Due to the threat of bad weather, the teams agreed to play singles first. The Captains split the individual matches with three wins at No. 1, 4, and 5. Dominic Lacombe downed Len Kamemoto (7-5, 6-2) at No. 2; Mason turned away Sky Moraino (6-2, 6-3) at No. 4; and Strause opened his strong performance with a win at No. 5 singles over Josh Blinder (7-6, 7-6). 

The clinching points would come in doubles play as the Captains won two of the three matches in pairs play. Christopher Newport earned a pair of 8-6 wins at No. 1 and 2. Strause paired with Scotty Hunter for the win on the top line, defeating Caleb Wilkins and Adrien Rooney. CNU also captured the win at No. 2 doubles with Ryan Macy and Andy Mason pairing up to take down Len Kamemoto and Luke Bennett. 

Next up, Christopher Newport will travel to Pomona-Pitzer for a 4:00 p.m. match against the Sagehens on Monday, March 2.