NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- Taking on a team featuring a pair of nationally-ranked singles competitors, the 25th-ranked Captains (4-5) rose to the occasion as junior Kylie Schaefer and sophomore Kendal Chang each toppled the ranked foe to help lift CNU women's tennis to a 4-3 win over 32nd-ranked Whitman (11-3). 

Kicking off the Natalie Pitts Memorial Invitational on the James and Sarah Eyre Courts in Newport News, the Captains pulled out a narrow victory against the Blues. Over the next four days, the Eyre Courts will be home to 10 matches featuring some of the best teams in NCAA Division III including Whitman and the host Captains. 

In the opener, the Captains got momentum on their side with a clutch win at No. 3 doubles to win the team point. Chang and Schaefer earned a 6-4 win at No. 1 against Nana Vang and Renata Rosell but Whitman answered with a win at No. 2. The team point came down to Erin Gross and Samantha Robertson playing Julia Longpre and Jules Thompson at No. 3. 

The matchup was neck-and-neck throughout the matchup with the host tandem escaping in a tiebreaker, 7-6 (7-4). CNU secured the pivotal 1-0 lead heading into singles play where the teams split the six individual matches. 

On the top line, Chang picked up a marquee victory in her young career by downing the 11th-ranked singles player in the nation, Nana Vang. The second-year player won the ITA Northwest Regional Singles Championship and captured a win at the ITA Cup this fall, earning her a lofty spot in the national rankings. Chang pulled away for the Captains, earning a 6-2, 6-3 win to hand Vang her first dual loss in eight matches. 

At No. 2, Schaefer also captured a win against her opponent, Renata Rosell, with a 6-4, 6-4 finish. It was the second win over a nationally-ranked opponent in her career after toppling No. 30 Allie Murrell (Wash. & Lee) last season. 

The two wins on the top lines set up the Captains for a clinching point at No. 4 where senior Eva Taylor secured the team victory. Taylor took on Longpre in singles action and earned a 6-1, 6-2 victory. 

It was the second straight win for the Captains, who improve to 4-5 overall this season with a 4-0 record in matches at home. The Natalie Pitts Memorial Invitational continues on Friday with a pair of matches at 10:00 a.m. featuring Whitman against No. 17 Kenyon and No. 15 Tufts taking on No. 13 Johns Hopkins. CNU will return to the Eyre Courts at 2:00 p.m. to face No. 18 Case Western Reserve.