NORFOLK, Va., March 24, 2021—South Carolina State junior Marcelo Rodriguez was named Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Men’s Tennis Player of the Week, presented by Coca-Cola, the conference office announced today, and teammate Elyes Marouani was named Rookie of the Week. Florida A&M senior Rachel Harden was named Women’s Tennis Player of the Week and South Carolina State’s Rachida Berjane was named Rookie of the Week.
 
Rodriguez (Jr., Panama) defeated North Carolina A&T State’s Esteban Lopez 6-1, 6-1 in No. 2 singles on Sunday, helping the Bulldogs win their MEAC opener.
 
Elyes Marouani (Fr., Tunis, Tunisia) was also strong against the Aggies, taking his No. 3 singles match over Nicolas Arduh 6-1, 6-1.
 
Harden (Sr., Augusta, Ga.) was dominant in No. 3 singles this past week, defeating Ameer Robertson of North Carolina A&T State 6-0, 6-0 and Maru Berghaus of North Carolina Central 6-1, 6-0. She also won both her doubles matches.
 
Berjane (Fr., Casablanca, Morocco) picked up a No. 1 singles win over North Carolina A&T State’s Florielvis Hurtado Pernaleta 6-3, 6-0, while also winning her doubles match.
 
Other Top Performers
Marlene Estenssoro Pineda (North Carolina A&T State) notched singles wins over Florida A&M (Adrienne Clayton) and South Carolina State (Andjela Mihajovic).
 
Jade Houston (North Carolina Central) ran her singles winning streak to five with a 7-6 (1), 6-4 win over North Dakota’s Andrea Jansson at No. 2 singles.