Courtesy of Norfolk State Athletic Communications
DOVER, Del. – Norfolk State women's tennis had to wait a week for their turn. But after the Spartan men clinched the MEAC Northern Division title last weekend, the Spartan women's program did the same on Saturday.
NSU overcame a doubles point loss, winning five of six singles matches in a 5-2 win over Delaware State at the DSU Tennis Courts. Both freshman Laura Ruiz and senior Zoe Fraser won their singles matches after losing the first set each. They helped NSU clinch the match and finish with a 3-0 MEAC record this year.
NSU improved to 7-5 overall, winning its fifth in a row. That includes victories last weekend over Howard and Coppin State. Saturday's match set up a winner take all for the division title after DSU also defeated HU and CSU earlier this year. The Hornets fell to 4-2 overall, 2-1 in the league.
The Spartans won their first regular season title since 2019, when they finished second in the division but were awarded the regular season championship due to Morgan State's ineligibility. Norfolk State last won a division title outright in 2016, their first ever in the MEAC, when it also went undefeated in Northern Division play.
"Today the ladies found a way to win. They showed a level of resilience and a level of mental toughness I haven't seen until today," head coach Larry Holmes said. "To be Northern Division champions is a testament to the hard work and buy-in these ladies had in the program since January. We preach attitude, energy and effort in the program, and that was on full display today. I am so proud of them, but the job isn't over yet."
Either Ruiz or Fraser needed to rally from that first-set deficit in order for NSU to take the match against DSU on Saturday. Both ended up doing exactly that. Ruiz lost 6-2 in the first set at No. 3 singles to Daria Julia, but she came back to win 7-6, 6-0 in the next two sets to officially clinch the match. Fraser, meanwhile, fell 7-5 in the first set at the No. 4 position to Anastasia Belkina, before storming back to win 6-1, 6-4 in the second and third sets after the Spartans had clinched the match win.
Norfolk State was up in the match after seniors Paula Fortuno and Bruna Goncalves and freshman Andrea Barcenas each won in singles as well. Fortuno took the top spot in the lineup, 6-4, 6-3, over Lolita Kozina. Barcenas, meanwhile, won at the second position, 6-0, 6-2, over Klaudija Lisovska.
Goncalves took the No. 5 match with scores of 7-6, 6-0 over Cassandra Boltman. DSU was able to prevent a complete singles sweep when Iris Leder won at No. 6 singles, 6-2, 6-2, over NSU freshman Lydia Oviedo.
Ruiz and Fortuno won at No. 3 doubles, 6-4, over Boltman and Alina Polyvana. Delaware State, however, won at the other two positions for the doubles point. Kozina and Lisovska earned a 6-3 triumph over Fraser and Goncalves at No. 1 doubles, and Julia and Leder took the second position match over Barcenas and Oviedo, 6-2.