DURHAM, N.C. – After going undefeated at the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Round-up in March, the North Carolina Central University men's tennis team dropped its first conference match on Sunday to Norfolk State University 5-2 at the Dr. James W. Younge Tennis Courts.

Norfolk State (11-8, 4-1 MEAC) opened the match by winning the doubles point. The Spartans defeated sophomore Kareem Abdul Hakim and junior Oliver Saarinen 6-3 in No.1 Doubles and won No.3 Doubles 6-1 against sophomores Neiman Sneed and Naresh Bharathy.

Junior Hugo Hidalgo Vega and freshman Leo Fortier-Gariepy battled for a No.2 Doubles 7-6 victory after winning a 9-7 tiebreaker. Norfolk State would already secure the point with the prior two triumphs.

Hidalgo Vega is coming off his fourth MEAC Player of the Week award and evened the score with his 6-0, 6-4 victory in No.1 Singles earning his tenth singles victory in a row.

NSU regained control of the lead, winning No.3 and No.4 Singles. Bharathy fell 6-3, 6-4 in the No.4 slot and Fortier-Gariepy retired from his match.

Abdul Hakim brought the match closer in No.2 Singles after outdueling his opponent in the first and third sets 6-1 and 6-2, respectively.

Norfolk State closed out the day winning No.5 and 6 Singles. Saarinen dropped a 7-5, 6-3 match in the No.5 slot. Shaka Cristellotti's No.6 Singles match wrapped up the contest as the senior lost a pair of 6-4 sets.

NC Central (6-13, 3-1 MEAC) plays in a rematch of the 2023 MEAC Tennis Championship match facing South Carolina State University at home on Saturday, April 13 at 11 a.m.

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