NORFOLK, Va. – Looking to build off last year's success, the Norfolk State women's tennis team will begin the 2022 campaign with a road match at William & Mary on Saturday. NSU will debut lots of new faces against the Tribe, boasting some promising new additions.

The Spartans enter 2022 coming off one of their most successful seasons of the past decade. Under former head coach Larry Holmes, NSU went 8-5 in the regular season, winning the MEAC Northern Division title for the first time since 2016.

The team lost three seniors this offseason, including first team all-conference star Paula Fortuno. But the Spartans return two starters, Andrea Barcenas and Laura Ruiz, who made great strides as wide-eyed freshmen. Ruiz went a team-best 8-5 in singles matches last year and ended the season on a five-match doubles win streak alongside Fortuno. The impressive numbers earned Ruiz a spot on the All-MEAC second team.

As Ruiz impressed at the No. 6 position, Barcenas held her own against stiff competition at the No. 2, No. 3, and No. 5 spots.

"Their experience definitely helps," NSU volunteer assistant coach John Brinkman said. "They played in some big matches last year."

The Spartans lost some invaluable leaders, but they've brought in one of the most exciting incoming classes in years. Not only have the three newcomers played their way into the starting six for the season opener, but they will battle for positions at the top of the Spartan lineup.

NSU adds some international flavor to the lineup in the form of freshman Aleksandra Evdokimova from Moscow, Russia. Known to her teammates as "Sasha," Evdokimova touts an impressive resume at the junior level. Growing up in Spain, her wins included the Regional Alevin, Regional Junior, Regional Absoluto, Regional Infantil and Regional Cadete.

West Virginia University transfer Amber Fuller should also be a mainstay near the top of the lineup. A prestigious high school recruit, Tennis Recruiting Network ranked Fuller five stars and the No. 61 player in the nation in the 2020 recruiting class, winning an International Tennis Federation (ITF) G5 tournament in Puerto Rico in 2018. She played in eight singles and four doubles matches with WVU as a freshman, before the season was cut short by COVID-19.

"[Fuller] and Sasha have gone back and forth playing against each other," Spartans assistant coach Sharmane Tonkins said. "One won this week, the other wins the next week. The two of them have definitely pushed each other mentally on the court and physically. Watching those two players is just amazing, the amount of talent that they possess. They're entertaining to watch them play."

Tonkins, another new addition, joined the NSU men's and women's tennis programs as an assistant coach in the fall of 2021. Coming from the high school arena, Tonkins has quickly adjusted to coaching at the college level and said the team has welcomed her.
 
"It's been great working with them," she said. "I'm looking forward to growing and bettering the relationships with the men's and women's teams. I feel like we a great team skill level-wise and academic-wise."

NSU's third newcomer is freshman Breana Cook, a Long Beach, California native. Tennis Recruiting Network ranked her three stars and the No. 289 player in the country for the 2021 class. She won the U-16 divisions for the Match Tough Tennis Academy Winter Junior Open in 2019 and the Fabian Grassini Tennis Academy/City of Tustin Open Winter Classic in 2018.

Sophomore Zada McMorris will step into a more prominent role this season after going 1-1 in her two singles appearances last season, 2-0 in doubles. Sophomore Naya Grant, who sat out last season with an injury, will add valuable depth.

On the doubles side, Cook and Fuller will likely pair up at the No. 1 spot. Ruiz and Evdokimova will play No. 2, with Barcenas and McMorris following behind at No. 3.

"Doubles is as much about relationship as it is about ability," Brinkman said. "You have to get along with your partner. If you have two great players and they don't get along and don't click, they aren't going to do well. I think the teams we have click."

NSU's 2022 slate features six MEAC and 11 nonconference matches. The Spartans will host Longwood, Hampton, Drexel, and Virginia State at the NSU Tennis Complex. They will face William & Mary, Loyola University Maryland, Old Dominion, Johnson C. Smith, North Carolina Central, South Carolina State, Towson, and a second match with Hampton on the road. NSU's matchups with Virginia Tech, Howard, Morgan State, Delaware State, and Coppin State will take place at neutral locations.

For the players, Saturday can't come soon enough. The countless hours of development just can't quite compete with the thrills of match play.

"I think they are tired of practicing," Brinkman said with a laugh. "They're very eager to get out there."