NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- The Captains season opener against Longwood University scheduled for Saturday afternoon has been postponed due to freezing temperatures on the same day that the CNU women's tennis program was picked to defend its conference title as the preseason favorites in the Coast-To-Coast Athletic Conference. CNU secured four first-place votes and tabulated 16 points to lead the poll ahead of UC Santa Cruz with 12 points and the remaining first-place vote. 

Following a vote of the league's head coaches, Christopher Newport was picked to win a third straight conference crown in the poll. Coaches can not vote for their own team, making the Captains a unanimous favorite ahead of the 2026 campaign. 

Rounding out the poll behind CNU and the Banana Slugs were Mary Washington (11 pts), Salisbury (7), and JWU Charlotte (4). 

CNU will start the year with a top-25 ranking for the fourth time in the 48-year history of the program as they check in at No. 24 in the ITA Preseason Poll. Last season, the Captains climbed as high as 14th in the nation and finished the year with a 13-7 overall record. 

Christopher Newport captured the team's second straight conference championship and recorded the most wins in head coach David Weiner's tenure. This season, CNU returns five All-Conference stars including Kylie Schaefer, Kendal Chang and Samantha Robertson. 

On Saturday, CNU was scheduled to face the Division I Lancers from Longwood University at Noon but the match was postponed due to freezing temperatures in Newport News. No date has been announced for a rescheduled dual against Longwood. Christopher Newport will now open the season on Saturday, February 7 against Division I Hampton University at Noon. 
 

2026 C2C Women's Tennis Preseason Poll
Rank	Team	Points (1st)
1	Christopher Newport	16 (4)
2	UC Santa Cruz	12 (1)
3	Mary Washington	11
4	Salisbury	7
5	JWU Charlotte	4