Temple Match Results | Howard Match Results

RICHMOND, Va. – The Norfolk State women's tennis team came up just short of earning its first win of the year, as Howard was able to squeeze past the Spartans by a 3-2 score on Sunday afternoon during the third and final day of the VCU 4-1 Invitational.
 
Earlier in the day, Temple defeated the Spartans by a 5-0 score at the Thalhimer Tennis Center.
 
NSU (0-5) came oh-so-close to defeating Howard (1-2). The Spartans picked up the win in doubles, with senior Krystal Scott and sophomore Liza Gordeeva downing Jessica Josiah and Umarah Mughnee, 6-2, 7-5.
 
Senior Mafalda Lhorca gave NSU its second point of the day with a 6-2, 6-2 victory against Sajela Harlow at the No. 3 singles position. It was the highly-contested second singles slot that proved to be the deciding factor. Senior Yvonne Kamegne won the first set, 6-4, over Audra Bell, who returned the favor by winning the second set, 6-3.
 
In the third-set tiebreaker, Bell was able to get past Kamegne with a 10-7 victory.
 
Howard also got points from the No. 1 spot, where Stacey Roheman defeated junior Andrea Macchiavello, 6-2, 6-1, and at No. 4 singles. The Bison benefitted from NSU's short-handed lineup, winning that fourth spot by default.
 
Against Temple in a late-morning match, NSU nearly pulled out the win in doubles. The Spartan duo of Kamegne and Gordeeva won the first set, 7-6(5), over Rebecca Breland and Yana Khon. The Temple tandem won the second set, 6-4, and then the third-set tiebreaker, 10-7.
 
Lhorca fought well at No. 3 singles before falling by a 6-3, 6-2 score to Anais Nussaume. Macchiavello dropped a 6-1, 6-1 decision to Alina Abdurakhimova at the No. 1 spot, and Scott lost 6-1, 6-0 to Dina Karina at the No. 2 position.
 
Temple (2-1) also won the fourth singles position by default.
 
The Spartans will take a few weeks off before taking on Hampton on Feb. 16 at 8:45 p.m. at the Centre Court Racquet Club in Newport News, Va.