Women's Tennis | 4/23/2026 4:35:08 PM

CARY, N.C., April 23, 2026 - Opening day of the 2026 MEAC Women’s tennis tournament saw No. 1 Morgan State, No. 2 Norfolk State, No. 4 North Carolina Central, and No. 6 South Carolina State advance to the semifinals on Friday, April 24. 

Match 1: No. 4 North Carolina Central def. No. 5 Delaware State, 4-1 
North Carolina Central took an early 1-0 lead by securing the doubles point to open the day. Delaware State answered in singles play, tying the match with a win at No. 2 behind Lucia Casas Blas. 

The Eagles quickly regained control, as Second Team All-MEAC selection Mariana Zottoli delivered a commanding 6-2, 6-1 victory at No. 4 singles over Sia Mahajan. Patricia Palencia followed with a 6-2, 6-4 win at No. 3, and Alejandra Hidalgo Vega clinched the match with a 7-5, 6-2 decision over Catherine Goldman at No. 1 singles. 

North Carolina Central will face top-seeded Morgan State in the semifinals on Friday at 9 a.m. 

Match 2: No. 2 Norfolk State def. No. 7 Coppin State, 4-0 
Norfolk State advanced to the semifinals with a 4-0 sweep of Coppin State. Coppin earned the first doubles result at No. 1, where Brandy Babcock-Hanna and Saphirre Ferguson defeated Yuliya Yurkova and Julia Daroszewska 6-1. 

The Spartans responded quickly, evening things up with a 6-1 win at No. 2 doubles by Ines Sabadie and Angelina Maniawska. Regina Urbiola and Yana Klimcuck then secured the decisive doubles point at No. 3. 

Norfolk State carried that momentum into singles play, winning three consecutive matches to seal the shutout victory. They will meet No. 6 South Carolina State in the semifinals Friday at 9 a.m. 

Match 3: No. 6 South Carolina State def. No. 3 Howard, 4-3 
South Carolina State capped the day with a dramatic 4-3 upset over Howard. The Bulldogs claimed the No. 1 doubles match, while Howard responded at No. 2 doubles. South Carolina State secured the doubles point by winning at No. 3. 

In singles play, Howard took the No. 1 match, with Franchesca Brown defeating Katerina Marsalkova 6-4, 6-3. However, South Carolina State surged back, winning the No. 2, No. 3, and No. 4 singles matches to clinch the victory and advance. 

South Carolina State advances to the semifinal round and will face Norfolk State on Friday, with first serve scheduled for 9 a.m. 

For additional information, including brackets, team info, and live scoring, please visit the Tennis Championship Central page at MEACSports.com.