WASHINGTON, D.C./BALTIMORE, Md. – Norfolk State women's tennis got conference play started off on the right foot with a pair of wins on the road. The Spartans topped Howard by a 5-2 score on Friday, followed by a 4-1 victory over Coppin State on Saturday.
NSU won all three doubles matches against Howard at the Washington Tennis and Education Foundation – East Capitol Campus before winning four of six singles matches. The next day, the Spartans improved to 5-5 overall, 2-0 in the MEAC after winning the doubles point and three of the four singles matches that went to completion.
Against Howard, seniors
Bruna Goncalves and
Zoe Fraser won at No. 1 doubles, 6-3 over Hana El Sherif and Yemisi Ifederu. Senior
Paula Fortuno and freshman
Laura Ruiz took a 7-5 win over Alexandra Blackwell and Emnet Simunyola at the second position, and freshmen
Andrea Barcenas and
Lydia Oviedo posted a 6-4 win over Aria Ragas and Kendall Addison at No. 3 doubles.
Fraser and Goncalves also won in singles. Fraser topped Simunyola, 6-4, 6-3, at the fourth position, and Goncalves topped Addison at No. 5 singles. She took the first-set tiebreaker 8-6 for a 7-6 win, dropped the second set 6-1, and then earned a 10-3 third-set tiebreaker victory.
Ruiz and Oviedo also claimed victories, including Ruiz by a 7-5, 6-3 margin at No. 2 singles over El Sherif. Oviedo posted a 6-3, 6-3 win at the sixth position over Ragas.
The Bison (0-2, 0-1 MEAC) got points at No. 1 singles, where Ifederu topped Fortuno 6-1, 6-3, and at No. 3 singles, where Blackwell claimed a 7-5, 6-0 victory over Barcenas.
"I am pleased with the effort the ladies put forth today," said head coach
Larry Holmes. "We started doubles well, and we just need to continue to get better."
Goncalves and Fraser then won at No. 1 doubles over Coppin State on Saturday afternoon, posting a 6-3 win over Mackenzie Jones and Tinashe Gwaze. Oviedo and Barcenas topped Afruica Gentle and Shariah Dunwell, 6-2, at No. 3 doubles to claim the early lead over the Eagles (0-8, 0-2 MEAC).
Fortuno helped NSU eventually take the match with a 6-0, 6-2 win over Dunwell at No. 1 singles. Fraser also claimed a singles victory at the third position, 6-1, 6-2 over Christy Turner.
Oviedo topped Jones 6-0, 6-0, at No. 5 singles. CSU got its lone point with Barcenas fell to Iva Jankovic at the second position, 6-1, 6-1. The No. 2 doubles, No. 4 singles and No. 6 singles matches went unfinished.
"I am happy with the win," said Jones. "We had some adversity but managed to fight through it. We are two-thirds done with conference, and hopefully we can clinch the Northern Division next weekend."
NSU's match on Sunday at Morgan State has been cancelled, and the Spartans will next host Virginia Wesleyan on Thursday at 4 p.m. at the NSU Tennis Complex.
