NORFOLK/NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – Norfolk State won the last two contested singles matches to come away with a 4-3 win over North Carolina Wesleyan on Friday, and the Spartan men's tennis team won the last singles match to post a 5-4 win over Christopher Newport on Saturday.
 
The Spartans won both matches in close fashion, including Friday's victory over the Battling Bishops on Norfolk State's Senior Day at the NSU Tennis Complex. The Captains were forced to retire in the last contested singles match on Saturday at CNU's Eyre Courts. The Spartans moved to 3-3 overall as they played their last matches before the start of conference play.
 
Against N.C. Wesleyan, NSU needed to rally after losing the doubles point. The Spartans did win at No. 1 doubles by a 6-4 score when senior Ignacio Guevel and junior Federico Rebecchini topped Roberto Puig and John Falke. The Bishops, however, won the other two matches.
 
Jhonny Acosta and Juan Vallejo defeated senior Andres Alcaraz and freshman Santiago Rendon at No. 2 doubles, 6-4, while the Spartan duo of sophomore Ibrahim Abbas and freshman Ivan Ivars fell 6-0 to Max Robinson and Thato Holmes at No. 3 doubles.
 
The Bishops earned the win at No. 1 singles when Puig topped Rebecchini, 5-7, 6-1, 6-4. Valentin Ancieto also posted a win for North Carolina Wesleyan, topping Abbas at the sixth position, 6-1 and 6-2.
 
Ancieto's win made it 3-2 in favor of the Bishops for the match. The Spartans had gotten their two points when Alcaraz defeated Vallejo at No. 2 singles, 7-6, 3-6, 6-3, and Rendon downed Acosta at the third spot in the lineup, 7-6, 6-3.
 
The Spartans needed wins in the last two contested singles matches to avoid the upset loss. Ivars first did his part by defeating Falke 7-5, 7-6 at the No. 4 position. Guevel then came away with a 7-6, 6-3 triumph over Augusto Roca at the fifth position to end the match in favor of NSU.
 
"We lost the doubles point, but our players found a way to win," said NSU head coach Larry Holmes. "Credit the seniors for leading the way, and Ivan and Santiago are really starting to peak."
 
The Spartans had to turn around a play again on Saturday after Friday's match lasted more than four hours. And once again, NSU came up empty in two of three doubles matches against CNU (4-2).
 
Alcaraz and Rendon were victorious at No. 2 doubles, 8-4 over Matthew Dubuque and Scotty Hunter. Rebecchini and Guevel (8-4) fell to Ryan Macy and Alex Strause at No. 1 doubles, as did Abbas and Ivars (8-2) at the third position to James Baron and Paul Baron.
 
Alcaraz ultimately gave NSU the match win after his opponent at No. 1 singles, Hunter, had to retire near the end. Alcaraz won the first set, 6-0, before dropping the second set, 7-6. He was up in the third set by a 6-5 margin when Hunter retired.
 
Rebecchini and Rendon gave NSU a sweep at the top of the lineup. Rebecchini won 6-0, 7-5 over James Baron at the second position, and Rendon won at No. 3 singles over Macy, 6-2, 6-2.
 
Guevel also came away victorious, downing Dubuque 6-1, 6-3, at the fifth position. CNU did pick up a pair of wins, including at No. 4 singles that went to three sets. Ivars fell in the first set to Strause, 6-3, before winning the second, 6-4. But Ivars was unable to finish the win, falling in the third set by a 6-3 margin.
 
Tyler Hyun gave the Captains another point with a 6-0, 6-1 win over Abbas at No. 6 singles.
 
"Saturday we were not at our best, but we managed to pull through," said Holmes. "The matches were very competitive and could have gone either way. CNU competed, and they did not make it easy for us. Andres managed to hang in there and pull through as his opponent was force to retire."
 
The Spartans will begin MEAC play on Friday at Howard.