NORFOLK, Va. – The Norfolk State tennis programs will celebrate their seniors on Friday when the Spartan men's and women's tennis teams host North Carolina Wesleyan for Senior Day.
First serve is set for 12 p.m. at the NSU Tennis Complex, with senior day recognition taking place before the start of the matches.
The NSU men will face the Battling Bishops of North Carolina Wesleyan twice on Friday, with a second match occurring after the conclusion of the first one. The Spartans own a 1-3 record on the season after falling at Richmond on March 14. NSU's match last Friday at Longwood was cancelled due to weather, and Wednesday's match at ODU was also cancelled.
The Spartan women carry a 2-5 record into Friday's contest, the last for them before the beginning of MEAC play on April 2. The Spartans last played at ODU on Sunday, a 7-0 setback at the Folkes-Stevens Tennis Center.
The Spartan men will play at Christopher Newport this Saturday before also starting the conference season on April 2 at Howard along with the women.
COVID Protocols
Norfolk State home tennis matches are open to a limited number of fans. Spectators are required to wear a mask when on the NSU campus and observe social distance guidelines by keeping members of their household at least six feet away from others. Fans are asked to sit in seats marked with green tape at the NSU Tennis Complex.
Senior Day Salute
The Spartans will honor five seniors on Friday, three with the women's team and two with the men's team. Four of the five seniors elected to use a fifth year this season after the NCAA granted eligibility relief from the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. Below is more information on each.
Andres Alcaraz, a redshirt senior, was named first-team All-MEAC as a sophomore in 2018, a year in which he won four MEAC Player of the Week awards. He has competed at either No. 1 or No. 2 singles during his entire career and owns a career 9-1 MEAC singles record with 24 overall singles wins. A native of Pachuca, Mexico, Alcaraz has been named to the AD Honor Roll and the MEAC All-Academic Team in addition to being inducted in the Chi Alpha Sigma National College Athletes Honor Society. He is majoring in electronics engineering with a minor in computer science.
Ignacio Guevel, another redshirt senior who took advantage of the NCAA eligibility waiver, owns a 7-1 career MEAC singles record and 21 overall wins in singles play. He has competed at the No. 4, 5 and 6 positions during his time with Norfolk State. He also carries a 7-3 career MEAC doubles record. Guevel, a native of Santiago Del Estero, Argentina, was named MEAC Rookie of the Week during his freshman campaign in 2017 and has been a regular member of the AD Honor Roll and the MEAC All-Academic Team. He is majoring in business management.
Paula Fortuno began her career at No. 3 and 4 singles but has competed at the No. 1 and 2 positions the last few years. The fifth-year senior is 11-4 in MEAC singles play during her time at NSU and 9-6 in the league in doubles. She owns 26 career singles wins and was a two-time MEAC Rookie of the Week as a freshman in 2017. A native of Vila-Real, Spain, Fortuno has been a regular member of the AD Honor Roll and the MEAC All-Academic Team. She is majoring in biology.
Bruna Goncalves, another fifth-year senior, carries a 10-3 career MEAC singles record, having competed at the No. 3, 4 and 5 positions during her time with the Spartans. She has 20 career singles wins and owns a 6-6 career MEAC record in doubles. A native of Governador Valadares, Brazil, Goncalves has been named to the AD Honor Roll and the MEAC All-Academic Team in addition to being a member of the Chi Alpha Sigma National College Athletes Honor Society. She is majoring in electrical engineering with a minor in mathematics.
Zoe Fraser, a true senior, transferred to NSU from Radford and went 5-0 in MEAC singles play in her only full season with the Spartans as a sophomore in 2019. She has competed at the No. 2, 3 and 4 positions and has compiled nine singles wins during her time at Norfolk State. The Virginia Beach native has 13 career doubles wins with NSU, having gone 4-1 in MEAC play in 2019. She has been named to the AD Honor Roll and is majoring in mass communications.
