NORFOLK, Va. – The Norfolk State tennis programs announced their 2021 schedules on Wednesday, highlighted by a pair of home-and-home series with Old Dominion and a home men's match against Temple.
The women's team kicks its season off in early February, part of a 13-match schedule. The Spartan men will play their first contest of the 2021 spring season in mid-February, one of 13 matches on the docket right now. Both teams begin their seasons at Old Dominion.
"Playing nationally ranked teams like ODU and William & Mary will help the program aspire to what we want to become," said head coach
Larry Holmes. "This non-conference schedule will prepare us for the MEAC. I am excited to see what our program can do. Our players have been itching to play for more than 10 months, and they are excited to get back onto the court."
The Spartan women begin their campaign on Feb 5 at ODU's Folkes-Stevens Tennis Center against the Monarchs. They also head to Virginia Wesleyan on Feb. 19 and to Richmond on Feb. 27 to close out the month.
ODU returns to NSU on March 6, and the Spartans also host Virginia Wesleyan on March 22 and North Carolina Wesleyan on March 26. NSU has non-conference matches at William & Mary (March 7), at Longwood (March 19) and at Christopher Newport (March 27). Conference play includes trips to Howard (April 2), Coppin State (April 3), Morgan State (April 4) and Delaware State (April 10).
Due to COVID-19 restrictions, attendance at any home men's or women's match is limited to family and guests of the participating team members, supplied in advance through a pass list. The events are not open to the public.
The Spartan men have circled their calendar for Feb. 13 at ODU for the start of their season. They travel to VCU (Feb. 19), Virginia Wesleyan (Feb. 20) and Richmond (March 14) and will join the Spartan women at Longwood on March 19. The NSU men's team also hosts Temple on March 13, ODU on March 21 for the completion of that home-and-home, and North Carolina Wesleyan for two matches on March 26.
Like the women, the men's program will also play at Christopher Newport on March 27 in addition to the three-match weekend at Howard, Coppin State and Morgan State from April 2-4. They wrap up the regular season at home on April 7 against Virginia Wesleyan.
The 2021 MEAC Tournament will be held once again at ODU's Folkes-Stevens Tennis Center, from April 24-25. The top two teams from each division this year will advance to the championship. NSU will compete in the Northern Division.
More matches for both the men and women may be added later in the season. All dates are subject to change.
The Spartan women return four players from last year's team to go with five newcomers who joined the team this year. The Spartan men welcome back three players from a season ago with two new additions for this season.
