NORFOLK, Va. – Norfolk State University athletics director Marty L. Miller announced on Tuesday the hiring of Matthew Halfpenny as the Spartans’ new men’s and women’s tennis coach.

Halfpenny replaces Nathaniel Warren, who retired following the 2008-09 school year.

Halfpenny served as the facilities coordinator at Old Dominion University’s Folkes-Stevens Indoor Tennis Center for the last two years. In that capacity, Halfpenny was responsible for marketing and selling memberships and contracting court time. He was also responsible for developing and promoting programs for adult and junior tennis patrons and soliciting local and regional Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) and United States Tennis Association (USTA) events to the facility.

Prior to working at ODU, Halfpenny served as an assistant women’s tennis coach at William & Mary during the 2006-07 academic year. He helped the Tribe capture the 2007 CAA championship with a 22-3 record and advance to the NCAA Tournament round of 16. W&M was ranked as high as No. 15 in the nation that season by the ITA. Halfpenny also was the Tribe’s recruiting coordinator and has extensive experience recruiting in the United States as well as in Europe.

Halfpenny has also served stints as an assistant men’s tennis coach at N.C. State (2002-06) and Brown University (1999-2002). At N.C. State, Halfpenny helped lead the Wolfpack to a school-record 20 wins and an ITA national ranking of No. 42 in 2006. While at Brown, Halfpenny assisted on the Bears’ first-ever Ivy League championship team and NCAA Tournament participant (2002). He was named the Region One Assistant Men’s Tennis Coach of the Year that season.

As a collegian, Halfpenny was a four-year starter at Charleston Southern from 1994-98. He was a two-time All-Big South selection and a three-year captain. Halfpenny was a key player on the Bucs’ first-ever Big South championship team in 1996.

Halfpenny is a native of Philadelphia, Pa. He and his wife, Christine, reside in Williamsburg with their sons Jackson (3) and Cole (7 months). Christine is the head women’s lacrosse coach at William & Mary.