Heading into a spring break trip to Florida, CNU women's tennis had been struggling to win that all-important doubles point in dual matches. So David Weiner, the Captains' head coach, began experimenting.

What he eventually found was a solid combination at No.  1 — sophomore Kendal Chang and junior Kylie Schaefer. In their first match together on March 5, they defeated No. 17 Kenyon College's top pair 6-4.

That was the first of six consecutive wins at No. 1 doubles. And Friday, the Chang/Schaefer tandem (9-4) will begin play in the NCAA Division III Women's Tennis Doubles Championship in Chattanooga, Tenn.

"We didn't really put Kendal and Kylie together with the idea that they'd be national qualifiers in mind," Weiner said.  "But they beat one of the top teams in the country in their first match and just kind of grew together from there."

Before the Kenyon match, the only experience Chang and Schaefer had playing doubles together had come in practice. But the one thing that usually takes time to develop between teammates — chemistry — came right away.

"Our strengths really help each other," Chang said. "For me and my aggressiveness, that helps set up Kylie at the net to put away finishing shots. We work really well together. It feels like we've been playing together so long."

"I've enjoyed my time here training with her the last week and a half. I've gotten very close with Kylie and the coaches and it's very cool to see we could make it."

Schaefer believes she and Chang share the same disposition on the court.

"We're both very composed and we don't get down on ourselves if we lose a point," she said. "We feed off each other's calm energy very well.  We have that competitive energy, too, but we're two of the more reserved players.

"That's why we work well together because we both knew each other's tendencies from practicing against each other when we weren't doubles partners. We also respect each other as players. We're always there to make each other better."

Of the 16 pairs in the tournament, Chang/Schaefer have played against five — Kenyon (Eleni Lazaridou/Hana Nouaime), Mary Washington (Addison Felts/Natalie Kim), Sewanee (Mariella Congeni/Ivy Wilson), Johns Hopkins (Ava Li/Kamila Wong) and Emory (Emily Kantrovitz/Iris Berman).

Chang/Schaefer also played against Katie Wong/Emma Thoms from Case Western Reserve in Florida. But for the championship, it will be Wong/Hannah Kassaie.

CNU will learn who its quarterfinal opponent will be on Thursday.

Having played in last year's event, Schaefer is only the third player in program history to make multiple appearances — Raine Weis and Tessa Trate, now an assistant coach at CNU, were the previous two. She knows more what to expect.

"Last year, I relied a lot on my veteran doubles partner, Raine Weis," Schaefer said. "I kind of let her take me through the whole process.

"But this year, I definitely know what to expect, especially with the environment. And I definitely know some of the competitors there from last year."

Having a partner who has been there before has already helped Chang.

"She told me to really have fun and be loose," Chang said. "That it's a really great opportunity and so many cool and amazing teams there with a great atmosphere. I was nervous about it at first, but having this whole week, I'm more excited than I am nervous.

"This is the best experience of my tennis career so far. I didn't even realize how cool it is to qualify."

Just like Weiner didn't realize he suddenly had a qualifying doubles team on his hands.

"I think that they work well together because they're both great players and their skills certainly complement each other well," he said. "They also do a great job of staying present during their matches. They don't get too high, or too low. They're very good at focusing on themselves and prioritizing finding their best level as a team on court.

"They put a lot of time in getting better and they've really earned their spot in this event. They've been looking great during training in the lead up and we're excited to see what they can do."