Howard Match Results | FAMU Match Results

RALEIGH, N.C. – The Norfolk State men's tennis team defeated Howard, 4-1, in the first round of the MEAC Championship before falling to FAMU, 4-0, in the semifinals on Friday afternoon at the Millbrook Tennis Center.

The Spartans faced the Bison at noon in the quarterfinals, and won the first two doubles matches and then No. 1, 2 and 6 singles for the victory. Just a few hours later at 5 in the afternoon, NSU took on FAMU in the semifinals. The Rattlers won the No. 2 and 3 doubles matches and the last three singles bouts.

NSU wrapped up its season 6-14 overall, while FAMU improved to 20-6 on the season and advanced to play South Carolina State Sunday in the championship. Howard, which NSU had already beaten earlier this year by a 3-2 score, dropped to 6-10.

NSU kicked things off against Howard, and picked up the key wins at No. 1 and No. 2 doubles. Juniors Arsenio Culver and Ben Marks handed Christopher Brown and Devard Wharton at the No. 1 slot, 8-2, while juniors Jonathan Sessom and Christian Romanzini earned an 8-5 win at the second position over Omar Haloui and George Diggs.

Howard won No. 3 doubles when Tonique Merrell and Eric Chavous downed freshman Brian Bullock and Kent Austin, 8-1. From there, Culver and Marks pushed NSU closer to victory in singles.

Culver posted a 6-4, 6-2, victory at No. 1 singles over Brown, while Marks had to work extra against Haloui at the No. 2 position. Haloui won the first set, 6-2, but Marks turned it around to win the next two, 6-4, 6-3. Howard, though, inched closer as Chavous downed Romanzini, 6-1, 6-1, at No. 5 singles.

Bullock gave NSU the match victory after also working overtime against Merrell at the sixth position. Merrell won the first set, 6-3, before Bullock responded with a 6-1, 6-4 win in the next two sets to end the match.

In the other two matches, Sessom downed Wharton in the first set at No. 3 singles, 7-5, before Wharton won the second set, 6-2. Sessom led by a 1-0 score in the third set before play was called. At No. 4 singles, Diggs posted a 6-1 victory over Austin in the first set, while Austin won the second set, 6-4, and had a 5-2 lead in the third set when the matched ended.

Against the Rattlers later in the day, Sessom and Romanzini dropped an 8-2 decision to Maurice Wamokowa and Temuera Asafu-Adjaye at No. 2 doubles. Michael Moore and Levan Clark gave FAMU an early lead with an 8-0 win over Bullock and Austin at No. 3 doubles.

Culver and Marks were tied with Chidi Gabriel and Takura Happy, 5-5, at the top doubles spot when the teams moved on to singles play. FAMU quickly pulled out the win in singles with wins at the bottom of the lineup.

Gabriel swept Austin at No. 4 singles, 6-0, 6-0, while Wamokowa downed Romanzini, 6-1, 6-2, at the fifth position. Moore helped FAMU to the win with a 6-0, 6-1 victory against Bullock at the sixth slot.

Ivan Umnikov led Sessom, 6-0, 5-4, at No. 3 singles, and Clark had a 6-3, 3-2 lead on Marks at the second singles spot. At No. 1 singles, Culver led Happy, 6-5, in the first set before the match ended.

The semifinals on both the men's and women's sides were scheduled for Saturday, but inclement weather forecast for Day 2 of the championship forced teams to play both the quarterfinals and semifinals on Friday.