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NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- The 21st-ranked Christopher Newport women's lacrosse team will open up the NCAA Tournament on Sunday at noon when the Captains host Catholic in a second-round battle at Jennings Family Stadium.

CNU earned a first-round bye after wrapping up the regular season with a 13-6 record, including an 8-1 ledger at home. Meanwhile, Catholic enters the contest with a 13-7 record after knocking off Meredith, 19-5, in the first round of the playoffs on Saturday afternoon.

Tickets for Sunday's game will be $10 for adults and $5 for students and seniors. They can be purchased with cash only at Jennings Family Stadium beginning at 11 a.m. Additionally, CNU students will be admitted free-of-charge with a valid university ID.

For those fans unable to attend the contest, live stats will be available at CNUsports.com. There will also be a video broadcast of the action through NCAA.com. Direct links to both features can be found at the top of this release and on the schedule page.

Christopher Newport will be making its second straight trip to the national playoffs after reaching the second round of last year's tournament. Overall, this will be the Captains' 10th appearance in the NCAA Tournament, including a run to the Sweet 16 in 2013.

Entering Sunday's contest, Kelsey Winters ranks fourth in the NCAA with 68 assists this season. That also stands as a new single-season program record, topping her 67 helpers in 2023. For her work this year, she was honored as a second-team All-American by USA Lacrosse Magazine on Friday, becoming the first four-time All-American in program history.

In her career, Winters now has 271 assists. That stands as the second-highest total in NCAA Division III history. She is four shy of matching the all-time record set by Rhodes' Emily Bruner from 2019-23.

Along with Winters, Julia Iapicca and Brookelyn Morrison also nabbed honorable mention All-American citations from USA Lacrosse Magazine. Iapicca leads the Coast-to-Coast Athletic Conference with 59 goals this season, which also places her sixth on the program's all-time single-season charts. Meanwhile, Morrison has already established a new school record with 49 caused turnovers.

Incredibly, Iapicca also ranks seventh on CNU's single-season charts with 54 ground balls this year, while Morrison is fifth in school lore with 82 draw controls. Additionally, Morrison and Drew Stanley both have six man-up goals this season, which is tied for the all-time program record.

Among other fast-approaching milestones, Emma Jackson has 89 career caused turnovers, which is tied with former legend Emily Johnson for the most in program history. She also has 126 ground balls, just one away from moving into the top-10 on the school's all-time charts. Additionally, Winters is two appearances shy of tying Kendall Krause's program standard of 82, which she set from 2019-23.

As a team, Christopher Newport is averaging 10.74 takeaways-per-contest, which is the second-highest rate in program history. Their 33 man-up goals are also the most in a single season. Meanwhile, on the national level, the Captains are 12th in shooting percentage (.519), 13th in free-position percentage (.557), and 27th in clearing percentage (.872).

Catholic is making its 14th appearance in the NCAA Tournament. With their win over Meredith on Saturday, the Cardinals have now advanced to the second round of the tournament in each of their 14 postseason appearances, including victories over CNU in 2008, 2010, and 2012.

During the team's win over Meredith, Catholic ripped off 10 straight goals, including a 6-0 margin in the third quarter, to grab the lopsided triumph. Charlotte Spauldin, Tori Wilsey, and Jessie Lee all netted hat-tricks for the victors, while Jill Kennedy had four points. Defensively, the Cardinals forced 20 turnovers, including four by Rachel Rubenstein.

Overall, Sunday's showdown will mark the 13th meeting between Christopher Newport and Catholic. The Cardinals hold a 10-2 edge in the series, including their three wins in the national playoffs. However, CNU did post a 13-9 victory in the most recent match-up on April 26, 2023 in Newport News. During that game, Winters led the victors with six points, while Syd Guidi snapped off four goals.

The winner of Sunday's game will advance to the third round of the NCAA Tournament, which will begin next weekend.

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