Men's Tennis | 10/4/2025 2:11:02 PM

Cary, N.C., – North Carolina Central’s women’s doubles team, Valeria San Miguel Soria and Sara Barbaric, and South Carolina State’s men’s duo, Mikalai Bankou and Bastian Zamora, claimed the doubles championships at the 2nd Annual MEAC Tennis Invitational at Cary Tennis Park.

 

On the women’s side, San Miguel Soria and Barbaric earned the doubles crown with a 6-3, 6-2 victory over teammates Alejandra Hidalgo and Mariana Zottoli in the final. The duo opened play with a 6-2, 6-2 win over Morgan State’s Lauryn Hall and Roua Lumin, before rallying past Delaware State’s Lucia Casa Blas and Sia Mahajan, 3-6, 6-2, 1-0, in the semifinals. The championship marks the first women’s doubles title for North Carolina Central, after South Carolina State swept the event in 2024.

 

In men’s doubles action, Bankou and Zamora rolled to a 6-2, 6-2 win over North Carolina Central’s Tim Kohl and Rodrigo Alves in the final. The Bulldog duo advanced with a 7-5, 6-4 quarterfinal win over Howard’s Kaosie Nwokedi and Marcus Weekes, followed by a 6-2, 6-2 semifinal victory against NCCU’s Naresh Mithran Bharathy and Antoni Pankowski.

 

For Bankou, the doubles championship capped off a remarkable tournament, as he also secured the men’s singles title earlier in the day. This year’s crown is South Carolina State’s first men’s doubles championship at the Invitational, after NCCU placed both finalists in 2024.

 

With their victories, both doubles teams clinched the MEAC’s automatic qualifying spots in the ITA Conference Masters.

Final Results

2025 Women's Doubles Bracket
2025 Men's Doubles Bracket