NORFOLK, Va. (April 16, 2016)-The Morgan State women's tennis team dropped a 5-1 decision on the road on Saturday against top-seeded Norfolk State in a Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Northern Division match at Folkes-Stevens Tennis Center.
 
The loss dropped the Lady Bears to 6-10 overall and 3-2 in MEAC Northern Division play, while the Spartans improved to 9-9 overall and claimed the 2016 northern division crown with a perfect 6-0 mark.
 
The Lady Bears' lone point of the match came by way of winning the doubles point. Chelsi Russell and Cierra Plummer paired together at No. 1 doubles to defeat Dajana Cvjetkovic and Liza Gordeeva by a score of 7-5. Danielle Thompson and Chloe Kabamba earned a 6-3 victory at No. 2 doubles over Norfolk State's Andrea Macchiavello and Mafalda Lhorca to earn the 1-0 lead for the Lady Bears.
 
From that point on, it was all Norfolk State, as the Spartans won four of the five singles matches that were played. The hosts claimed the first four matches and then earned their fifth and final point by way of a default victory at No. 6 singles. The No. 5 singles match between Russell and Lhorca went unfinished with Russell holding a 3-0 lead in the first set.
 
"Another tough loss for us today," said Morgan State head coach Matt Townes. "The great thing is we finally played some great doubles. There's beauty in the struggle, and we are getting it all together at the right time of the season.
 
The Lady Bears close out the regular season on Sunday, April 17 at Hampton. First serve is scheduled for 1 pm.
 
 
April 16, 2016
Norfolk, Va. (Folkes-Stevens Tennis Center)
Morgan State 1, Norfolk State 5
 
Singles
No. 1 – Dajana Cvjetkovic (NSU) def. Chloe Kabamba 6-2, 6-2
No. 2 – Liza Gordeeva (NSU) def. Danielle Thompson 7-5, 6-2
No. 3 – Marta Gomar (NSU) def. Kayla Price 6-1, 6-4
No. 4 – Andrea Macchiavello (NSU) def. Cierra Plummer 6-2, 6-2  
No. 5 – Mafalda Lhorca (NSU) def. Chelsi Russell 0-3, unfinished
No. 6 – Ana Popovic (NSU) def. No player by default
 
Doubles
No. 1 – Russell/Plummer (MSU) def. Cvjetkovic/Gordeeva 7-5
No. 2 – Thompson/Kabamba (MSU) def. Macchiavello/Lhorca 6-3
No. 3 – Gomar/Popovic (NSU) def. No player/No player by default