CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. -- Competing at the 2026 NCAA Division III Women's Tennis Doubles Championship, Christopher Newport sophomore
Kendal Chang and junior
Kylie Schaefer concluded the season on the opening day of the postseason event at the Manker Patten Tennis Club in Chattanooga, Tennessee.
The first round matchup was moved indoors due to inclement weather as the national championship event shifted from the Champions Tennis Club to the indoor facility where the Captains' top tandem was pitted against the No. 15 ranked Brandeis University pair, Mandy Reyes and Rebecca Suarez.
Chang and Schaefer were the third-ever pairing to compete in the NCAA Division III Doubles Championship after
Tessa Trate and
Raine Weis were the first in 2022 with a repeat appearance in 2024. Last season, Schaefer made her postseason debut with Weis and Chang joined her in this year's event to round out the four doubles championship showings in CNU history.
Against the Judges, Chang and Schaefer ultimately bowed out in a 6-4, 6-2 final score in the opening round. Reyes and Suarez advance to the second quarterfinals on Saturday.
The match opened with Christopher Newport on serve and the Captains jumped out to a 1-0 lead after a momentum-fueled start, winning four of the first five points. After Brandeis held serve in the second game, the Captains narrowly escaped falling behind when they faced a 40-15 deficit in the third game, but again rallied to hold and re-take a one-game lead, 2-1.
The first break came in the fifth game when the Judges managed to take their first lead, 3-2. Not needing an immediate break, the CNU pair worked patiently as both teams held serve over the next two games but Christopher Newport captured their first break in the eighth game to even the score back up at 4-4. Coming from behind, Schaefer and Chang earned the advantage at deuce and powered home the winning point.
Brandeis responded with another service break to re-take the lead, 5-4, and finished out the first set for a 6-4 win.
In set number two, the momentum carried over for the Judges who earned a service break in the opening game but the Captains picked up the next game with a dominant break of their own. Unfortunately for CNU, the veteran tandem from Brandeis rebounded to win four of the last five games to clinch the victory, 6-2.
Christopher Newport's top pair finished out the year with a 9-5 overall record.
