Match Results

NORFOLK, Va. – The Norfolk State women's tennis team earned its first win of the season with a 6-1 decision over North Carolina A&T Friday afternoon in the MEAC Round-Up at the Palmetto Tennis Center.

The Spartans won two of three doubles matches and the top five singles bouts to improve to 1-8 on the year. Two of NSU's singles wins included rallies from a one-set deficit.

Things got started off on the right foot for the Spartans, who won a pair of close matches at No. 1 and 2 doubles to take an early lead. Freshman Gabriella Jonsson and junior Naeemah Brooks won by a 9-7 margin over Cayla Cross and Azeib Nigatu in the first doubles match.

At No. 2 doubles, senior Jennifer Astbury and sophomore Rebecca Graff downed Chloe McSwain and Victorea Austin, 8-5. In the third doubles match, senior Chenge Tsapayi and junior Ashley Foster dropped a 9-7 decision to Nina Henry and Kimberly Stalling.

Jonsson and Tsapayi won at No. 2 and No. 4 singles, respectively, after falling in the first set. Stalling downed Jonsson by a 6-3 score before Jonsson took the next two sets, 6-4, 6-3. Tsapayi also lost in the first set, 6-3, to Austin, but Tsapayi came back to take the victory, 6-3, 6-2, in the next two sets.

Astbury won the tiebreaker, 10-8, to win the first set by a 7-6 score over Nigatu at No. 1 singles, and then swept her Aggie opponent, 6-0, in the second set. Brooks downed Cross, 6-2, 7-5, at the No. 3 slot, while Graff wasted little time in knocking off McSwain at the No. 5 position, 6-3, 6-1.

Henry downed Foster at the No. 6 position, 7-5, 6-1, to prevent the Spartan sweep in the match.

NSU will face Florida A&M and then UMES Saturday beginning at 10 a.m.