NORFOLK, Va. – The Norfolk State women's tennis team won the doubles points but came up short in singles in a 4-1 loss to Florida A&M on Saturday morning in the MEAC Tournament semifinals at the Folkes-Stevens Tennis Center.
 
NSU's three seniors, Zoe Fraser, Bruna Goncalves and Paula Fortuno, helped the Spartans win in doubles. The Rattlers, however, won the first set in all six singles matches and eventually came away with the win.
 
NSU closes out its season at 8-6, a campaign in which the Spartans won the MEAC Northern Division title and six matches in a row at the end of the regular season. NSU made its first tournament semifinals appearance since 2008 and won its first outright division title since 2016.
 
Fraser and Goncalves helped NSU to an early lead with a win at No. 1 doubles, 6-2, over Haleigh Porter and Aylen Hubeaut. Fortuno teamed up with freshman Laura Ruiz for a 7-5 victory at No. 3 doubles over the FAMU duo of Adrienne Clayton and Claudia Sumaia to clinch the doubles point.
 
Freshmen Andrea Barcenas and Lydia Oviedo were tied at 5-5 at the second doubles position with Rachel Harden and Arielle Nealy when the match was abandoned.
 
Florida A&M (3-9), however, took control in singles. At the top of the lineup, Porter topped Fortuno, 6-2, 6-3, to officially clinch the match for the Rattlers. Ruiz fell to Hubeaut at No. 2 singles, 6-2, 6-1, in the first singles match of the day to finish.
 
The Rattlers also won at No. 3 and 4 singles. Harden topped Barcenas at the third position, 6-0, 6-4, and Nealy defeated Fraser in the fourth slot in the lineup, 6-0, 7-5.
 
Goncalves was in a comeback at No. 5 singles before that match was abandoned. She lost the first set, 6-4, to Clayton, but the senior came back to win 6-1 in the second set and was up 2-0 in the third.
 
Oviedo, meanwhile, was down 6-3, 4-2, to Sumaia at the sixth position when that match was also abandoned.
 
Florida A&M moved on to face South Carolina State in Sunday's final.