NORFOLK, Va. – The Norfolk State tennis teams will return home for the first time in a month as the Spartans host Southern Miss and Temple this week. The women's team will play Southern Miss Thursday at 12:30 p.m. at Old Dominion's Folkes-Stevens Tennis Center, while the men will welcome Temple to the NSU Tennis Courts Saturday at noon.
The Spartans are coming off the MEAC Round-Up held from March 3-6 at the Palmetto Tennis Center in Sumter, S.C. The women's team defeated North Carolina A&T, 6-1, and UMES, 7-0, while the men also swept the Hawks by a 7-0 margin.
Both the men and women fell to Bethune-Cookman, Florida A&M and South Carolina State in conference play at the tournament. The women nearly pulled off the upset of Bethune-Cookman, but the Wildcats won two of three doubles matches and the teams split the three singles matches on the way to a 4-3 B-CU victory.
The victory over the Aggies assured the women's team of a spot in the MEAC Tournament beginning April 15 in Raleigh, N.C. The men were already guaranteed a spot due to there being just four teams in the Southern Division. The top four teams from the Northern and Southern Divisions compete at the tournament.
Juniors Arsenio Culver and Ben Marks have been the leaders of the men's team, as Culver owns a 4-5 record while Marks sports a 4-6 record on the year. Junior Jonathan Sessom and freshman Kent Austin have picked up a pair of singles wins this year as well.
Junior Naeemah Brooks and freshman Gabriella Jonsson both boast a 4-6 record on the year, while sophomore Rebecca Graff owns a 3-6 mark. Seniors Jennifer Astbury and Chenge Tsapayi and freshman Maryna Kariuk have all record two wins on the season.
Prior to Thursday, NSU's only other home match so far this season occurred Feb. 12 when the men played East Carolina, although that indoor contest was played at Old Dominion. Both teams will have three more home matches left following this weekend.
Following Saturday's action, both teams will head to James Madison on March 18 and play two other away matches before hosting Delaware March 29 at noon at the NSU Tennis Courts.
