CARY, N.C. – The No. 3 seed Norfolk State men's tennis team put together a tremendous effort on Friday but couldn't pull off the comeback result, falling 4-2 to No. 2 seed North Carolina Central at Cary Tennis Park.
 
The Spartans concluded the season with a 13-12 overall record, going 3-2 in MEAC play. Norfolk State's 13 victories marked its winningest season since the 2014 campaign.
 
North Carolina Central took the opening doubles point with wins on Courts 1 and 2. Igor Kubalka and Frederick McRae gutted out a 6-4 triumph on Court 3, but the Eagles prevailed to elsewhere to take a 1-0 lead.
 
The Eagles quickly doubled the advantage, thanks to a 6-2, 6-0 victory at the top position by Hugo Hidalgo Vega against Vladisav Gorbatenko. The Spartans rallied from there, though, winning the opening sets on Courts 2 and 3, including a comeback from a 5-2 deficit by Deniz Okyay.
 
Solarski closed things out for a 7-6 (4), 7-5 victory on position two to get Norfolk State on the board. Okyay dropped the second set but came through in the third to earn a 7-6 (2), 2-6, 6-2 win at the No. 3 slot to tie the match 2-2.
 
North Carolina Central retook the lead soon after, as Naresh Mithran Bharathy defeated Kubalka 6-4, 6-0 at the No. 4 position. McRae and Michele Elia kept the fight going, both winning each of their first sets at the No. 5 and No. 6 courts, respectively.
 
Antoni Pankowski provided the clinching point for the Eagles, coming from behind to take down McRae 5-7, 7-5, 6-3.  
 
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