NORFOLK, Va. – The Norfolk State women's tennis team made up for a 4-1 loss at Hampton earlier in the season, defeating the Pirates 5-2 on Tuesday afternoon at NSU Tennis Complex.
 
The Spartans (11-8) picked up their fifth win in a six-match stretch with the result.
 
Norfolk State got the match started on a better foot than the previous meeting from the get-go, winning the opening doubles point with victories on two of threat courts. Sofiya Tsitavets and Ines Sabadie won 6-2 at the No. 2 position, before Yuliya Yurkova and Caroline Nichols came through in the clutch for a 7-6 triumph on Court 3.
 
Tsitavets won 6-0, 6-1 over Diana Starodubtseva at the No. 1 position to surge the Spartans ahead 2-0. Nicholls put together a 7-6, 6-2 win over Serena Bryan on Court 4 soon after, before Yurkova clinched the match with a come-from-behind 1-6, 6-2, 6-1 triumph against Meiri Okuwaki at the No. 2 position.
 
Sofia Sokolova defeated Ines Sabadie 7-6, 6-2 at the No. 3 position to get Hampton on the board. Irina Iurea bested Melis Sakiroglu 6-2, 6-1 on position five, before Masa Mitic took down Angelina Maniawska 7-5, 0-6, 10-3 on Court 6.
 
The Spartans return to action with a road matchup at Johns Hopkins on Monday, Apr. 7.
 
For complete coverage of Norfolk State Athletics, please follow the Spartans on social media at @nsuspartans (X), /NorfolkStateAthletics (Facebook), @NSUAthletics (Instagram), @nsuathletics (YouTube) or visit the official home of Norfolk State Athletics at nsuspartans.com.