WILLIAMSBURG, Va. – The Norfolk State men's tennis team started strong in its season opener at William & Mary but couldn't hold off a tremendous singles performance from the Tribe.
 
The Spartans fell 5-2 at McCormack-Nagelsen Tennis Center on Wednesday evening, dropping to 0-1 on the season.
 
Norfolk State won the opening doubles point with a spectacular showing all-around. Boris Lunin and Michele Elia earned a 6-0 victory at the No. 2 position, before Jakub Solarski and Frederick McCrae took down Nikita Bortnichek and Alexander Karman 6-4 on Court 3.
 
The Tribe responded quickly in singles, earning straight set victories on Courts 5, 4, and 6. The swing put William & Mary ahead 3-1, needing just one more point to clinch the match.
 
Oliver Hague won the first set 6-0 against Vladisav Gorbatenko 6-0 at the No. 1 slot, but Gorbatenko rallied to win the second set 7-6. Hague pulled off the 6-2 win in the third set.
 
Deniz Okyay got the Spartans another point, rallying from a set down to defeat Albert Hansen 2-6, 6-1, 6-2 at the No. 3 position. Solarski lost a battle on Court 2 to Gur Trakhtenberg 6-4, 5-7, 2-6, before the Tribe closed the match with a dominant win on Court 4.
 
Norfolk State gets two weeks to prepare for its next stretch, heading to Philadelphia to face Temple at 6 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 21.
 
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