Winston Salem, N.C. May 3, 2024 — The South Carolina State Men’s Tennis team made their fourth consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance where they faced No. 6 Wake Forest. 

Despite a number of games won throughout all six singles matches, the Bulldogs dropped a 4-0 decision to Wake Forest in round one of the NCAA Tournament. 

South Carolina State’s Aissa Benchakroun and Benjamin Niv matched up at No. 1 doubles against Wake Forest's Holden Koons and Suresh Ekambaram.  The Bulldog’s duo grabbed a pair of wins in a 6-2 loss to Deacons, while Novak Novakovic and Mikalai Bankou of South Carolina State also dropped 6-2 to Wake Forest’s Filippo Moroni and Matthew Thompson at No. 2 doubles. 

At No. 1 singles, Novakovic and Moroni had a 3-3 tie in the first set, before Novakovic embarked on a three-game run, for a 6-3 victory in the first set. 

Gabriel Johnson saw action for South Carolina State at No. 6 singles against Luca Pow.  After losing the first set 6-1, Johnson led the second set 5-4 before the match went unfinished. 

Bankou matched up against Ekambaram at No. 2 singles taking a 6-4 loss in the first set. After trailing 4-3 in the second set, he had a 40-0 lead for game point to tie before the match was declared unfinished. 

At No. 3 singles, Benchakroun won four games in loss of the first set against Matthew Thomson, then dropped the second set 6-1. 

Ivan Pauliuchenka won a total of five games in a two-set loss against Koons at No. 6 singles. 

Niv dropped both sets against Wake Forest’s Luciano Tacchi at No 4. singles. 

S.C. State finished the 2024 season with a 14-8 record after claiming their fourth consecutive MEAC championship, the program's 19th overall.