NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- Playing at home in the first semester for the first time in nearly 25 years, the Christopher Newport women's tennis team captured a dominant 8-1 victory over North Carolina Wesleyan University (0-1) on Friday afternoon. Playing on a unseasonably warm day at the Eyre Courts, the CNU women looked to be in mid-season form with a singles sweep and two wins in pairs play over the Battling Bishops. 

The Captains got two victories apiece from Raine Weis, Tessa Trate, Samantha Robertson, and Mia Linam. In the 20th all-time meeting between the two teams, the Captains secured the 19th victory and ran the current win streak over the Bishops to six. 

CNU opened the 2023-24 campaign with a 2-1 lead after doubles with wins on the top two lines. Weis and Trate paired together for their 29th career victory, passing Alexandra Drye and McKinney Harwood for fourth on the all-time list. It was also their 20th win at No. 1 as teammates, ranking third all-time at Christopher Newport. On Friday, they finished up their doubles match first with an 8-2 win against Ajla Selimovic and Cristina Mendoza Romero. 

The Captains took a 2-1 lead when Mia Linam and rookie Samantha Robertson paired up for an 8-2 win at No. 2, downing Andrea Elaez Miranda and Julie Schoormans. In the No. 3 matchup, rookie Kylie Schaefer paired with veteran Megan Bauer and fell behind, 7-1, but battled back to win four straight games before succumbing to an 8-5 final. 

In singles play, Kiersten Chang got things started at No. 5 with a speedy 6-0, 6-1 win over Schoormans. Not long after, Weis wrapped up the win at No. 1 in a 6-2, 6-0 final. Needing just one more point to clinch the match, it was freshman Samantha Robertson in her first career dual picking up the decisive win at No. 4, 6-2, 6-1. 

Rounding out the singles sweep after the match was clinched was Kylie Schaefer, winning 6-1, 6-1 at No. 6 against Selimovic; Linam with her second win of the day as she took down Ivanna Torres at No. 3, 6-3, 6-0; and Tessa Trate rounding out the overall performance with a 6-1, 6-3 win against Elaez Miranda at No. 2. 

The Captains will return to action on Saturday at 2:00 p.m. as they take on Johns Hopkins University at the Eyre Courts.