Raleigh, NC - The South Carolina State University Lady Bulldogs and Howard University Lady Bison will compete Sunday in the 2011 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Tennis Championship women's final beginning at 9 a.m. The men’s championship finale featuring the South Carolina State University Bulldogs and the Florida A&M University Rattlers is slated for Noon at the Millbrook Tennis Center in Raleigh, North Carolina.
The reigning MEAC Champion South Carolina State Lady Bulldogs, who earned the top seed in the south, defeated No. 2 Delaware State Lady Hornets 4-0. The Lady Bulldogs' took the lead going into singles play after winning the doubles points at the number two (8-2) and number three (8-2) spots. In singles action, S.C. State won in straight sets at the number one, two and six positions for a chance to compete for their seventh straight MEAC women's tennis title and eighth overall.
Howard, the top seed in the north defeated No. 2 Florida A&M, 4-0, and will vie for their first tennis championship title since the 1995 season. The Lady Bison won the doubles point and captured wins at the number one, two and five singles positions to advance. Brittney Morgan, an All-MEAC Second-Team honoree, clinched the victory for Howard with a 6-1, 6-2 win over Alexis Brown, an All-MEAC First-Team selection at the number two singles spot.
The two teams met a year ago in the championship finale with South Carolina State winning 4-1.
On the men’s side, top seeded South Carolina State defeated the No. 3 Bethune-Cookman Wildcats to earn their place in tomorrow’s title match. The Bulldogs swept the doubles point winning 8-0, 8-0 to take the early lead. The 2011 MEAC Player of the Year Dmytro Kovalevych defeated Emil Vassilev (6-2, 6-1) at the number two spot, while SCSU’s Peteris Vinogradous topped Kristofer Martin (6-0,6-2) at the number four spot. Artemiy Nikitin, the 2011 MEAC Rookie of the Year, aided the defending MEAC Champion Bulldogs to a 4-0 sweep of Bethune-Cookman and a trip to Sunday’s championship finale.
In the second men's semifinal matchup, the Florida A&M Rattlers defeated the No. 4 Norfolk State 4-0. Florida A&M took the lead after winning the doubles point at the number two (8-2) and three (8-0) spots. The Rattlers dominated singles competition with wins at the number 4-6 singles positions en route to their second consecutive championship appearance. The Rattlers will face the Bulldogs in the men's championship final on Sunday at noon.