CARY, N.C. (April 27, 2023) – No. 4 Howard University men's tennis team suffered a tough 4-3 loss in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Quarterfinals, falling to No. 5 Norfolk State (NSU).
 
With the loss, HU (4-13) has been eliminated from the tournament.
 
Despite the setback, All-MEAC selection sophomore Marcel Dawson (Columbus, Ga.) led HU with a three-set victory over NSU's Hugo Massoni Lena (6-4, 5-7, 6-3).
 
Junior Pierce Westbrook (New Orleans) ended his third season with a straight set win (6-2, 6-2) while fellow classmate Hassimiyou Dieng (Dakar, Senegal) defeated the Spartans' Ibrahim Abbas by retirement.
 
Although the Bison saw success in singles play, Norfolk State managed to send the contest into doubles play.
 
In doubles competition, Westbrook and third-year Bison Gabe Knowles (Allentown, Pa.) rolled past NSU's Roosevelt Brown and Saadiq Hinton, 6-0, but Norfolk State took the other two contests to win the match.
 
NSU (4-15) advances to face top-seeded South Carolina State Friday afternoon.
 
Howard Director of Tennis Nicholas Askew and the Bison continue its pursuit of another MEAC title in spring 2024.
 
For more information, visit the Bison Athletics website at www.HUBison.com.