NORFOLK, Va., March 8, 2023—Norfolk State freshman Boris Lunin was named Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Men’s Tennis Player of the Week, presented by Coca-Cola, the conference office announced today, and he was also named Rookie of the Week. North Carolina Central sophomore Lafi Joao was named Women’s Tennis Player of the Week, and North Carolina Central’s Alejandra Hidalgo Vega was named Women’s Rookie of the Week.
 
Lunin (Fr., Chesapeake, Va.) earned a 6-3, 2-6, 1-0 (10-6) win over Longwood’s Gary Huang at the No. 5 singles position, earning the Spartans’ lone point of the match.
 
Joao (So., Gaithersburg, Md.) won all three singles matches for the week, all in straight sets, to key the Eagles’ three-match winning streak. Against Hampton, she won 7-5, 6-3 over Lucia Fernandez at the No. 5 spot, before going to the No. 6 spot to defeat Eastern Kentucky’s Mariia Triska 6-1, 6-4. Against North Carolina A&T State, she won 6-4, 6-4 over Asima Sazan at the No. 5 slot.
 
Vega (Fr., Madrid, Spain) defeated opponents from Hampton, Eastern Kentucky and North Carolina A&T State, playing all three singles matches in the No. 2 position. She defeated Hampton’s Sofia Sokolova 6-3, 6-2; Eastern Kentucky’s Elena Tairian 1-6, 6-0, 10-7; and the Aggies’ Cielo Tapia-Cruz 4-6, 7-5, 6-3.
 
Other Top Performers
Aleksandra Evdokimova (Norfolk State) won her singles and doubles matches against Longwood, including a 7-6, 4-6, 6-1 win over Emma Nurgazieva at the No. 1 spot.