Match Results

NORFOLK, Va. – North Carolina Central earned a late win for the doubles point, and the Eagles went on to defeat the Norfolk State women's tennis team by a 4-2 margin on Thursday morning in the quarterfinal round of the MEAC tournament at ODU's Folkes-Stevens Tennis Center.
 
The two teams split the first and third doubles, while the Eagles earned the win at the second position for the early lead in the match. NSU needed to win four of the six singles matches to earn the overall victory, but NCCU won at No. 1 and 5 singles and then ended the match at the fourth position.
 
The loss finished NSU's season at 9-12. NCCU (6-12), the No. 4 seed in the South, advanced to Friday's semifinal round at 9 a.m.
 
The Spartans, the No. 1 seed from the Northern Division, posted a victory at No. 3 doubles, where junior Liza Gordeeva and freshman Marta Gomar topped Lynsey Cover and Tamara Jeremic. But at the first position, Aissa Muamba and Jamie Rogers posted a 6-3 win over NSU junior Ana Popovic and sophomore Dajana Cvjetkovic.
 
The doubles point came down to the second position, where Mia Ramic and Jasmine Gabriel eventually pulled out a 7-5 win over NSU seniors Mafalda Lhorca and Andrea Macchiavello.
 
Gomar also won in singles, earning a quick 6-0, 6-1 win over Gabriel at the third spot in the lineup. The Spartans got their second point when Lhorca took down Jeremic at the sixth slot, 6-0 and 6-4.
 
Muamba, though, earned a 6-1, 6-2 victory over Cvjetkovic at the top spot, and Cover swept Popovic in the first set by a 6-0 margin before winning the second, 6-4. Up 3-2 at that point, the Eagles needed just one more win for the match victory. They finally got it when Rogers finished off a 6-2, 6-3 win over Macchiavello at the fourth position.
 
At No. 2 singles, Gordeeva dropped the first set tiebreaker to Ramic, 7-2, to fall 7-6 in the set. Gordeeva was ahead 3-2 in the second when the match was abandoned.
 
Both Lhorca and Macchiavello finished their careers on Thursday. Macchiavello earned second-team All-MEAC honors this year and posted a 39-31 overall singles record in dual play, including 15-9 in MEAC matchups. She has split her time between the top four spots in the lineup. She also had a 31-27 overall doubles record, including 10-9 in conference play, competing at the No. 1 and 2 positions.
 
Lhorca, meanwhile, came back for a graduate year this season after earning first-team All-MEAC honors last year. She ended her career with a 35-28 overall singles record, including 12-8 in conference, competing primarily at No. 4 and 6 singles. Lhorca also had a 28-31 doubles record, including 9-9 in MEAC matches. She has spent most of her career at No. 2 doubles.
 
NSU will have four players returning with eligibility and will add a yet-to-be determined amount of newcomers for next season.