DANVILLE, Va. -- The nationally-ranked Christopher Newport women's basketball team will open the 2023-24 season on Wednesday night as the Captains travel to Averett University for a 6:00 p.m. tip. Opening the 11th season under the direction of head coach Bill Broderick, the Captains will begin its quest for an eighth consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance with game one.

CNU will face the Cougars for the 74th time all-time on Wednesday, boasting a 64-9 advantage in the series. Christopher Newport has won five straight, including a pair on the road where Wednesday night's matchup will be played. 

Live stats and a live video webcast will be available for fans unable to make the trip to Danville. Links to both can be found on the women's basketball schedule at CNUsports.com. 

Christopher Newport opens the campaign ranked No. 3 in the nation in both the WBCA and D3hoops.com National Rankings after finishing last season in the national championship game. The Captains were 31-1 a year ago with a thrilling run to the national final before suffering the lone loss of the season and finishing as Division III runners-up. 

This season, the Captains will be forced to replace three starters from that special group a year ago, including All-Americans Sondra Fan and Anaya Simmons. Junior forward Hannah Kaloi was the only CNU player to start all 32 games last season and returns to lead the way this year. Kaloi averaged 7.9 points per game while hauling in 4.4 rebounds per game. Also in the front court, veterans Alivia Giles (6.4 ppg) and Hannah Orloff (5.9 ppg, 59 blk) provide the Captains with an experienced rotation in the paint. Giles set a program record for field-goal percentage in a game last season, going a perfect 10-for-10, while Orloff led the NCAA Tournament in blocked shots. 

The CNU guard group is led by seniors Gabbi San Diego and Camille Malagar. The duo combined for 177 assists with fewer than 80 turnovers last season while also chipping in a combined 14.6 points per game. Malagar joins Giles and Kaloi as the only returners to have played in all 32 games last season while San Diego started 22 of her 24 games played at point guard. 

The Captains will be taking on an Averett squad that is picked 11th in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference preseason coaches poll. The Cougars were 4-21 overall last season, including a 92-39 loss to the nationally-ranked CNU squad exactly one year ago to the day from tip-off on Wednesday. Leading scorer Elisa Harris returns for her sophomore season after averaging over 11 points per game to pace the Cougars last season. 

Following the Wednesday evening season opener, the Captains will stay on the road for a pair of neutral site matchups this weekend at the Jean Edge Classic hosted by North Carolina Wesleyan University. CNU will take on Emory (Nov 11) and Maryville (Nov 12) to wrap up the first week of action.