Men's Tennis | 2/13/2025 11:16:33 AM

NORFOLK, Va., Feb. 13, 2025 — North Carolina Central junior Kareem Abdul Hakim was named Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Men’s Tennis Player of the Week. North Carolina Central junior Alejandra Hidalgo Vega was named Women’s Tennis Player, while teammate Marianna Zottoli earned Rookie of the Week honors.  
 
Abdul Hakim (Jr., Jakarta, Indonesia) went 2-0 in singles and 1-1 in doubles last week to contribute to two road wins for the Eagles. Abdul Hakim won 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 at No.1 singles against Belmont Abbey, followed by a two-set victory against Davidson’s No. 1 (6-4, 6-3). Alongside teammate Oliver Saarinen, the duo won 6-0 at No. 2 doubles over Belmont- Abbey College. 
 
Hidalgo Vega (Jr., Madrid, Spain) helped NCCU go 2-0 last week as the Eagles hosted a doubleheader against Winston-Salem State and Chowan on Feb. 8, both resulting in 7-0 victories. Hidalgo Vega won her No.1 singles match against WSSU 6-0, 6- 2 and 6-1, 6-0 over Chowan. She also paired with Valeria San Miguel Soria for two wins in doubles. 

Zottoli (Fr., Tucuman, Argentina) went 4-0 last week winning her two doubles and two singles matches. In the match against Winston-Salem State, Zottoli won with a pair of 6-0 sets at No.3 singles, while defeating her Chowan opponent in a pair of 6-1 sets. She and teammate Patricia Palencia were victorious in both doubles matches, winning both 6-0. 

Other Top Performers  

• Imani Jean (HU) defeated Maria Martinez (Temple) in three sets (7-5, 3-6, 10-8) for her first singles win of the season finishing the week 1-1 in singles play. 

• Lucia Casas Blas (DSU) competed in both singles and doubles against Drexel, falling in No. 2 singles (4-6, 2-6), while securing a No. 1 doubles win (6-3).