NORFOLK, Va. – The Norfolk State tennis teams will compete for a tournament title this weekend when the Spartans take part in the MEAC Championship. Action takes place on Saturday and Sunday at ODU's Folkes-Stevens Tennis Center.
 
Rain or shine, a champion will be crowned for both men's and women's tennis. Both Spartan teams earned the North's No. 1 seed after capturing division titles this year and will face the South's No. 2 seeds. The NSU women take on Florida A&M on Saturday at 9 a.m. in the semifinal round. The Spartan men play at 12 p.m. in the semifinals against North Carolina A&T.
 
Sunday's finals will begin at the same 9 a.m. and 12 p.m. times, respectively, as Saturday's semifinals. Unlike previous seasons, there will not be quarterfinals matches this year. Only the top 2 teams from each division advanced to this year's tournament.
 
"We're always looking to get better. We can't settle because we won the division title," said head coach Larry Holmes. "The bigger goal is to get the MEAC Tournament championship. We keep preaching that we haven't accomplished anything yet. We still have to be good that one day in April. Hopefully on both sides we can get there and be at our very best when our best is needed."
 
The MEAC will allow fans in the grassy areas between outdoor courts 1-4 and courts 5-8 at the facility. They cannot go past the bridge that leads to courts 1-4. Fans will not be allowed to attend if play shifts indoors due to weather.
 
Prior to this year, the Spartan women had not competed in the semifinals since 2008 when they finished as runner-up at the tournament. The Spartan men advanced to the semifinals in both 2017 and '18.
 
NSU went 7-4 on the men's side and 8-5 on the women's side this year. Both posted a 3-0 record in the division, including wins over Howard and Coppin State. The Spartan men downed Morgan State on April 4 to officially take home the division title. A week later, the women defeated Delaware State to win their division crown. Neither NSU team has ever won the MEAC Championship.
 
Opponent Info.
Florida A&M's women's team posted a 2-9 record this year, 2-1 in the MEAC. They secured wins over North Carolina A&T and North Carolina Central to finish in second place in the division. A close 4-3 loss to South Carolina State prevented the Rattlers from taking the division crown.
 
North Carolina A&T went 1-8 overall this year on the men's side. The Aggies defeated North Carolina Central to advance to this year's tournament. South Carolina State defeated both squads to take that division title as well.
 
S.C. State will take on North No. 2 seeds Howard (men) and Delaware State (women), respectively, in the other semifinal matches.
 
Award Winners
The Spartans will receive a handful of awards prior to their semifinal matches. Senior Andres Alcaraz was named the MEAC Player of the Year, the third in program history. Holmes was voted the MEAC Co-Coach of the Year, just the second time an NSU coach won the award on the men's side.
 
Alcaraz and junior Federico Rebecchini were each named first-team All-MEAC – the second time in his career for Alcaraz – and senior Ignacio Guevel and freshman Santiago Rendon were tabbed to the second team. NSU has not had four All-MEAC players and two first-team players since the 2014 season.
 
Holmes will also receive the Coach of the Year Award on the women's side, just the second time that has happened for the Spartans. Senior Paula Fortuno was voted first-team All-MEAC, and fellow senior Zoe Fraser and freshman Laura Ruiz were each named second-team all-conference. The Spartans have never had three All-MEAC players in their history.
 
Division Titles
NSU had captured a regular season title for the men just one other time, that coming in 2013 when they shared the Southern Division crown. Their 7-4 record this year will guarantee the Spartans a winning record for just the second time in the last seven years. They also went 9-6 in 2018.
 
The Spartan women won the Northern Division title outright in 2016 for their first ever regular season title in the league. They were also awarded the regular season trophy in 2019 when Morgan State went undefeated in league play but was ineligible for the postseason. The Spartans are guaranteed their first winning season since posting a 10-8 mark in 2013.