SELINSGROVE, Pa. -- The nationally-ranked Christopher Newport women's basketball team will embark on the 2026-27 season this weekend with a road trip to Susquehanna University for the River Hawks' Tip Off Tournament. The Captains (0-0) will open the season on Saturday, November 7 at 8:00 p.m. with a late night tip against SUNY Cobleskill (0-0) before returning to the floor on Sunday at either 1:00 p.m. or 3:00 p.m. against the winner of the Susquehanna vs. St. John Fisher matchup on Saturday. 

Live stats will be available for both games this weekend while a live video stream ($) is also available online. Both will be provided by Susquehanna University with links available on the women's basketball schedule online. The games will be played at the Orlando W. Houts Gymnasium in Selinsgrove with tip for game one slated for 6:00 p.m. followed by the Captains opener. On Sunday, the consolation game will be at 1:00 p.m. with Saturday's winning teams advancing to the championship matchup at 3:00 p.m. 

As the Captains set to start the year, the first game of the year will be the first ever matchup against SUNY Cobleskill. The Fighting Tigers earned the program's first ever NCAA Tournament appearance in 2025 and will be competing in the SUNYAC for the first time in 2026-27 after finishing over .500 for the fifth year in a row last season. On Sunday, CNU will either face Susquehanna or St. John Fisher; the Captains are 1-0 all-time against St. John Fisher and 1-1 against Susquehanna. 

Christopher Newport has won 11 straight season opening games and 18 of the last 19 dating back to the 2006-07 season. Under head coach Bill Broderick, the Captains are 12-1 all-time in season-opening games as the team starts season No. 14 under his wing after building an impressive 332-52 overall record over the first 13. This season, CNU starts the year ranked No. 12 in the D3hoops.com Top 25 and No. 13 in the WBCA Coaches' Poll after reaching the second round of the NCAA Tournament a year ago with a 24-5 overall record to close out the 2025-26 campaign. 

The team returns a throng of veteran contributors after graduating just two seniors from last year's squad. The senior class includes six players who all played impactful minutes last season including Mia Wilson, who ranked fourth on the team in scoring with 8.6 points per game, and three starters in Caitlin Crump, Elizabeth Creed, and Jessica Dornak. The other seniors are second-year transfers in Atiana Williams and Kendra Rigo who have had a year under their belts in the CNU system and are poised to contribute even more this year. 

The junior class is led by All-Region guard Madison McKenzie, who led the Captains offensively and defensively a year ago. The C2C Defensive Player of the Year ranked second on the team in steals and added 16 blocks while pouring in a team-high 12.5 points per game. Additionally, Noelle Cabiness, another second-year transfer, and Sarah Pritz round out the group of third year players with pivotal depth in the front court. 

CNU's second-year stars include a corps of guards in Denniyah Tanner, Sydney Richardson, and Sydney Worsham, along with forwards Hazel Grepps and Kaycee Doughty. Worsham is returning from an injury that limited her to just ten games last season after getting off to a hot start that included averaging 10.2 points per game. 

Finally, a healthy addition of five freshmen will look to join the Captains' high-paced rotation in their first season at CNU. A pair of Charlottesville natives -- Avery Stavitski and Zoe Burruss -- are joined by Katherine Maroulis (Brambleton, Va.), Kamari Simon (Chesterfield, Va.), and Kalin Favreau (Winston-Salem, N.C.). 

Cobleskill returns eight players from last year's roster including All-Conference selections in junior Jaiyla Colon and senior captain Hannah Bonczkowski. Colon averaged 9.5 points and 5.8 rebounds last year while Bonczkowski was the team's leader with 10.0 points per game. 

Following the weekend trip to Pennsylvania, the Captains will take on Saint Vincent College on Wednesday, November 11 in the home opener at the Freeman Center. Tip is slated for 6:00 p.m. against the Bearcats.