VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. – The Norfolk State men's tennis team battled to the end against North Carolina Central on Saturday, falling 4-3 at the Virginia Beach Country Club.
 
The Spartans drew first blood, winning the opening doubles point by a narrow margin. Federico Rebecchini and Adam Kaczmarek defeated Sebastian Pino and Oliver Saarinen 7-6, on Court 1, while Boris Lunin and Hugo Massoni Lena pulled out a win by the same margin over Shaka Cristellotti and Liam Murtaugh at the No. 3 position.
 
Saarinen defeated Massoni Lena 6-2, 6-0 at No. 2 singles, while Kareem Abdul Hakim took down Adam Kaczmarek 6-1, 6-1 at No. 3. The Spartans kept fighting, however, with Rebecchini besting Pino 7-5, 6-2 at the top spot in the lineup.
 
Cristellotti defeated Roosevelt Brown III at No. 5 singles, but Boris Lunin beat Naresh Bharathy 6-2, 6-3 at No. 4. In the final showdown of the day, Facundo Olmedo pulled out a 6-2, 6-2 victory at No. 6 singles over Ibrahim Abbas in a match that featured countless excellent shots on both sides of the court.
 
Norfolk State returns to action on Tuesday, April 11 at NSU Tennis Complex, facing rival Hampton for Senior Day at 12 p.m.