NORFOLK, Va. -- Playing under NCAA Division I rules, the Christopher Newport women's tennis team dropped a 4-1 decision on the road Friday afternoon against Norfolk State University. The Captains (5-3) battled in a match much closer than the final score indicates against the Division I Spartans. 

Rookie Tessa Trate continues to impress in her first year with the Captains, picking up her second win over a Division I opponent this season and improving to 5-1 at No. 2 singles. She earned the lone point for the CNU women on Friday with a straight set victory over Laura Ruiz (6-4, 6-2). Earlier in the year, Trate also dispatched of Norfolk State's Andrea Barcenas, who played No. 3 in Friday's bout. 

Trate also paired with Amanda Yermal in a hotly contested No. 1 doubles bout that went unfinished as the Captains trailed 4-3 midway through. Under Division I rules, the team that wins two out of three doubles bouts earns the team point and Norfolk State finished off the Captains in 2 and 3 before Trate and Yermal could continue. 

As mentioned, the match was closer than the final score as CNU suffered three singles losses to allow Norfolk State to clinch, but not without a fight. In addition to Trate's win, Reagan Delp picked up a first-set victory over Paula Fortuno at No. 1 and rookie Kiersten Chang rallied for a 6-4 second set win against Zoe Fraser at No. 4. 

In the No. 5 battle featuring Karina Crivtonencu against Bruna Goncalves, the CNU freshman suffered the setback but only after forcing a tiebreaker in the second set. Crivtonencu narrowly dropped a 6-4, 7-6 (6) decision. Yermal also forced her opponent to win a seventh game in the second set as the Captains had a solid showing across the board. 

CNU will return to action on Sunday, April 18 as they host Mary Washington in Coast-To-Coast Athletic Conference action. That match will begin at 3:00 pm.