Christopher Newport Men's Tennis to Meet Franciscan at Johns Hopkins in NCAA Tournament First Round
After earning the program's first postseason tournament bid since 2008 and just the second in program history, the Christopher Newport men's tennis team will open the 2017 Division III Men's Tennis Championship against Franciscanin the first round on Friday, May 12.
The match will be played on a neutral court at Johns Hopkins in Baltimore, Md. as six teams travel to the Blue Jays' home courts for the NCAA first-, second-, and third-rounds from May 12-14.
Match times, ticket information and more will be announced during the week as it is made available to CNUsports.com.
Christopher Newport, the 2017 Capital Athletic Conference Champions, come into the first round matchup with a 14-9 overall record with wins in five of their last six matches. That run includes two CAC Tournament victories with the team's first ever CAC Championship in a 5-3 win over Mary Washington, ending the Eagles' 17-year reign as the top team in the league. The Captains' first round opponent, Franciscan, boasts a 10-10 overall record with an automatic berth out of the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference (AMCC).
The winner of the first round matchup will face the host and 17th-ranked Johns Hopkins Blue Jays (16-2) in the second round. The Blue Jays earned a bye in the opening round and will also host Wesleyan (CT) (13-3), with a bye, and another first-round battle between Goucher (15-10) and John Carroll (16-7).
The Captains, ranked No. 30 in the most recent ITA/Oracle Division III National Rankings, will be making the program's second ever NCAA Tournament appearance. In 2008, CNU defeated St. Joseph's, 9-0, before falling to Williams, 5-0, in the second round. Franciscan is a five-time defending AMCC conference champion and earned a win in the NCAA Tournament last season.