GREENSBORO – A retirement at No. 4 singles made the difference in North Carolina A&T's non-conference women's tennis 4-3 loss to the Norfolk State Spartans at the Piedmont Indoor Tennis Center on Wednesday.

Sophomore Dorsa Cheraghi had to withdraw at No. 4 singles. Cheraghi retired with the first set tied at 2-2. As a result of the withdrawal, the Aggies dropped 4-3 during the 2026 season. Norfolk State improved to 4-5. Before No. 4 singles ended in disappointing fashion, the Aggies took an early 1-0 lead by winning the doubles point. Doubles did not start well for A&T, however.

The Spartans duo of Yana Klimchuk and Yuliya Yurkova defeated senior El Sherif and freshman Valeria Fomenko 6-1 at No. 6 doubles. The Aggies immediately evened the double series at 1-1 at No. 3 doubles. Juniors Randy Rakotoarilala and Tabeth Tadoum defeated Norfolk State's Angelina Maniawska and Ines Sabadie 6-1. The Aggies grabbed the doubles point with a gutsy win at No. 2 doubles.

Sophomores Juana Gomez Weiss and Flavia Villegas defeated Elena Martinez Prado and Regina Urbiola, 6-4, giving the Aggies a 1-0 advantage. The No. 4 singles win evened the match at 1-1. The Aggies quickly regained the lead at 2-1 with a straight-set win at No. 3 singles. Gomez Weiss beat Maniawska 6-3, 6-1. A&T was on the brink of victory after Villegas won at No. 6 singles, 6-1, 6-0, over Irina Iurea.

Unfortunately, the Spartans rallied. Norfolk State stayed alive with a win at No. 2 singles. Urbiola beat Rakotoarilala 6-1, 7-5 to cut A&T's lead to 3-2. The Aggies tried to close the match at No. 1 singles and nearly succeeded. El Sherif won her first set over Yurkova 6-4. Yurkova stayed in by narrowly escaping the second set, 7-5. She then clinched the competitive match with a 6-4 win in the third set, tying it at 3-3.

At No. 5 singles, Martinez Prado gained the early advantage for Norfolk State by taking the first set over Tadoum 6-3. Tadoum responded by capturing set No. 2 by a 6-2 margin, but Martinez Prado ultimately clinched the victory for herself and the Spartans by winning the third set 6-2.

A&T returns to action on Sunday, March 22, when they travel to Hampton, Va., to face Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) opponent Hampton University at 3 p.m.