NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- The nationally-ranked Christopher Newport women's basketball team will open the 2022-23 season on Tuesday at the Freeman Center as the Captains welcome in Averett University at 6:00 p.m. CNU will open the year as the preseason favorites in the Coast-To-Coast Athletic Conference as announced by the league on Monday morning.

For the fifth straight season, Christopher Newport has been picked to win the conference in the preseason poll and the sixth time since the poll originated in 2013-14. CNU collected five first-place votes and 47 total points in the poll as head coaches do not vote for their own team. UC Santa Cruz earned the remaining three first-place votes and finished second in the preseason ranking with 41 points. Rounding out the top-five in order were Salisbury, Mary Washington, and Finlandia. Pratt Institute, Warren Wilson, and Mount Mary were picked 6-7-8. 

The Captains are ranked No. 6 in the nation according to the D3hoops.com Preseason Top 25 and returns to the hardwood this season following their first loss in over a season and a half. Starting on December 29, 2019 and running all the way to the Round of 16 in the 2022 NCAA Tournament on March 11, 2022, the team put together a program-record 43-game winning streak that put CNU at the top of the national rankings for the first time in program history last season before finishing the year with a 26-1 overall record. 

Heading into this season, Christopher Newport will return three starters in All-American guard Sondra Fan, All-Region forward Anaya Simmons, and junior point guard Gabbi San Diego. Fan and Simmons have both been named D3hoops.com Preseason All-Americans after posting two of the most impressive field-goal percentages in the nation last season. San Diego will control the offense after dishing over 100 assists for the Captains in her first official season. 

The Captains will take on Averett University for the 73rd time in the all-time series after competing as conference foes for decades in the former Dixie Intercollegiate and USA South Athletic Conference. CNU owns the all-time matchup, 63-9, with a 34-2 record in home games. The Captains have won four straight against the Cougars with a 58-50 loss in Danville during the 2010-11 season being the last time Christopher Newport has dropped a game to their former conference foes. 

 Averett went 6-19 in it's final season in the USA South and was picked 12th in the ODAC Preseason Women's Basketball Poll. Junior Talia Prosper is the team's leading returning scorer after averaging 8.5 points per game in just over 24 minutes per game. Sophommore Jaa Brown is also back after pouring in 6.6 points per contest last season. 

Live stats and live video will be available at CNUsports.com. Links to both can be found on the women's basketball schedule. 
 

2022-23 C2C Women's Basketball Preseason Poll
Rank	Institution	Points (1st)
1.	Christopher Newport	47 (5)
2.	UC Santa Cruz	41 (3)
3.	Salisbury	37
4.	Mary Washington	32
5.	Finlandia	24
6.	Pratt Institute	19
7.	Warren Wilson	15
8.	Mount Mary	9