Match results

NORFOLK, Va. – After honoring its 2012 seniors, the Norfolk State men's tennis team gave Delaware all it could handle before the Blue Hens pulled out a 5-2 win Tuesday afternoon at the NSU Tennis Courts.

The Spartans won the No. 1 doubles spot and two of the six singles matches, while the Blue Hens needed a third set to earn the victory in the other four singles matches on Senior Day. The loss dropped NSU to 10-10, while Delaware improved to .500 with a 5-5 overall record.

Starting off the day in doubles, seniors Arsenio Culver and Ben Marks tallied an 8-4 win over Adam Lawton and Troy Beneck at the No. 1 spot. Delaware, though, won the doubles point with wins at the second and third positions.

Ryan Kent and Andre Vorobyov handed senior Christian Romanzini and sophomore Kent Austin an 8-1 win at the No. 2 spot, while Evan Andrews and Jason Derene defeated freshmen Igor Braga and Shaheed Mourillon-Swift by an 8-4 score at the No. 3 spot.

Culver also won his singles match over Beneck at the top spot in the lineup to cap a successful Senior Day, downing Beneck, 6-2, 6-2. Later in the day, NSU secured its second point of the match when freshman Daniel Grauel defeated Derene at the No. 5 spot, 6-4, 7-6(8-6).

The Spartans made the Blue Hens sweat in the other matches but could not capitalize on their opportunities in the other four matches. Senior Roosevelt Cooper came up just short of winning his match on Senior Day at the No. 6 spot against Andrews, losing 11-9 in the third set tiebreaker after winning the second set, 6-4. Andrews won the first set, 6-2.

Marks had the early lead over Lawton at the No. 2 spot after earning a 6-4 win in the first set, but Lawton came back strong with 7-5 wins in both the second and third sets for the match victory.

In the other two matches, Braga rebounded from a 6-4 loss in the first set against Vorobyov at the No. 3 spot with a 6-0 sweep in the second set. Vorobyov took care of business in the third set, though, 6-3. At the No. 4 position, Romanzini dropped the first set to Kent, 6-4, before winning the second set tiebreaker, 7-5, to earn the 7-6 set win. Like teammate Vorobyov, Kent responded in the third set with a 6-1 win.

Along with Culver, Marks, Romanzini and Cooper, NSU also honored junior Dexter McDowell before the match. McDowell is graduating a year early.

NSU will turn right around and face Liberty on the road Wednesday at 2:30 p.m.