NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- The Christopher Newport women's team dropped a 6-1 decision to No. 15 Tufts University (6-1) in the Natalie Pitts Memorial Invitational on Saturday morning. Junior Kylie Schaefer secured her second win over a nationally-ranked opponent this week to pick up the lone team point of the day for the Captains as the veteran also won in doubles.

Christopher Newport falls to 4-7 overall this season with the setback. All seven losses this season have come to teams ranked in the top-25 nationally. 

The Captains top tandem, Schaefer and playing partner Kylie Schaefer, earned a 6-2 win at No. 1 doubles, but the Jumbos won the other two matches to secure the doubles point. 

In singles, Schaefer earned a 6-1, 4-6, 1-0 (10-7) win against 39th-ranked Melanie Woodbury on the No. 2 line. The junior from Roanoke, Va. has won four in a row and leads the Captains with nine singles wins in 2025-26. She has improved to 2-1 against nationally-ranked foes in her third year as a Captain. 

The rest of the singles bouts ended in favor of Tufts despite a valiant effort from sophomore Lindsey Bergelin at No. 6 against Claudia Grove. Bergelin forced Grove to win the first set with a seventh game before dropping the match 7-5, 6-2. 

CNU will return to action on Saturday, March 28 against Virginia Wesleyan University with match time set for 10:00 a.m.