Women’s Tennis Downs Delaware State 4-1, Advance to Semifinals

Fiorella Valdivia Won at No. 1 Singles to Help NSU Down DSU

RALEIGH, N.C. – The Norfolk State women's tennis team, the No. 2 seed in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference southern division, defeated northern division No. 3 seed Delaware State 4-1 on Friday at the Millbrook Tennis Center.

NSU (7-4) won the doubles point with victories at the Nos. 1 and 3 spots. Fiorella Valdivia (Lima, Peru) and Stepanka Velebova (Tachov, Czech Republic) won 8-6 at No. 1, while Jennifer Astbury (Chesapeake, Va.) and Lerissa Morris (Kingstown, SVG) posted an 8-3 win at No. 3.

The Spartans needed three more wins to take the match and got them from Valdivia, Velebova, and Morris. Valdivia defeated Yaroslav Balakhonva 6-2, 6-1 at No. 1 singles. Velebova downed Polina Razborova 6-1, 6-2 at No. 3 and Morris beat Cassandra Newton 7-5, 6-3 at the No. 5 position.

Delaware State's (10-5) only singles win came at No. 2 when Ana Kovtun defeated Brittany Foster (Norfolk, Va.) 7-5, 6-2.

The Nos. 4 and 5 singles matches were stopped because NSU had already won four of the seven possible points.

The Spartans will take on northern division top seed Hampton (9-9) at 8:30 a.m. on Saturday.

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