NORFOLK, Va. – The Norfolk State men's and women's tennis teams will step onto the court for the first time in several weeks as the Spartans take on their league brethren in the MEAC round-up Thursday through Sunday in Sumter, S.C.
Both teams already have six matches under their belts, but Thursday will mark the first outdoor competition for the teams during the 2011 season. Both squads will take on Bethune-Cookman and South Carolina State Thursday beginning at 10 a.m., while the women will face North Carolina A&T Friday at 1 p.m.
Both take to the court twice on Saturday, against Florida A&M and UMES starting at 10 a.m., before wrapping up play on Sunday against North Carolina Central at 9 a.m. UMES and NC Central do not count towards the teams' league records.
The women need to finish at least fourth or better out of the five Southern Division teams to earn a berth in the MEAC Championships April 15-17, while the men are guaranteed a spot because there are only four teams in the Southern Division. The top four seeds from each division advance to the MEAC Championships.
The men stand 1-5 on the year after downing Howard by a 3-2 score on Jan. 29. The Spartans nearly pulled off the upset against Hampton – the preseason MEAC Northern Division favorite – before succumbing to the Pirates by a 4-3 margin.
Everything starts at the top of the lineup for the NSU men's squad, beginning with a pair of juniors in No. 1 player Arsenio Culver3 and No. 2 singles player Ben Marks#. Culver owns a 2-4 record, while Marks has posted a 3-3 mark so far. Junior Christian Romanzini (No. 3 singles), freshman Kent Austin (No. 4), freshman Brian Bullock (No. 5) and junior Jonathan Sessom (No. 6) have seen the majority of play at their respective positions.
The women's team has gone 0-6 so far this season, and just like the men, nearly got the upset against Hampton. The Spartans won two of the three doubles matches and the No. 2 and No. 3 singles matches, but the Pirates picked up wins in the other four singles bouts for the win.
The Spartans have used a number of different combinations this season, starting with freshman Gabriella Jonsson at the No. 1 slot. Senior Jennifer Astbury has also competed at the No. 1 singles position, while she and junior Naeemah Brooks have seen the majority of time at the No. 2 and No. 3 slots. Brooks owns a 2-0 record at the third singles position.
Junior Ashley Foster and sophomore Rebecca Graff have split time at No. 4 singles, while senior Chenge Tsapayi and freshman Maryna Kariuk have gotten in the lineup at the last two slots.
Following the conclusion of the Round-Up, the women's team will host Southern Miss March 10 at 12:30 p.m., while both the men and women will welcome Temple to the NSU Tennis Courts March 12 beginning at noon.
