RALEIGH, NC- The South Carolina State women's and men's teams captured the 2010 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Tennis Championship titles at the Millbrook Tennis Center in Raleigh, North Carolina.
The Lady Bulldogs earned their sixth consecutive MEAC crown and seventh overall with a 4-1 victory over the Howard Lady Bison. South Carolina State won the number one doubles 8-1 and the number three doubles 8-4 to take the 1-0 lead. Howard came back to tie the match at one a piece with a victory at the number two singles position.
South Carolina State rallied back with wins at the three and six positions. The Lady Bulldogs clinched the championship title with a win by Sarai Torres over Alyssa Works 7-6, 6-3 at the number four singles spot.
South Carolina State freshman Maria Craicun recorded a 3-0 mark at the number three singles position and 2-0 mark in doubles play and was named the Outstanding Performer.
Lady Bulldogs' Head Coach Hardeep Judge was named the Outstanding Coach for the sixth time on the women's side.
“We played a really talented Howard team, which had a great season. This championship win means a lot because we had so many injuries throughout the season. My girls just fought hard. We have been motivated the past couple of weeks, and were able to come out and play hard.”
On the men's side, South Carolina State topped the Florida A&M Rattlers, 4-1, to win their eighth MEAC crown. The Bulldogs won the doubles points and grabbed wins at the two, four, and five singles positions. Radek Pivonka, an All-Tournament Team selection, defeated FAMU's Michael Moore at the number two spot 7-6, 6-3 to secure the victory.
South Carolina State's Dmytro Kovalevych earned Outstanding Performer accolades after finishing with 3-0 record at the number three and four singles positions and a 3-0 mark in doubles play. Judge was named the Outstanding Coach for the men's team for the sixth time in his career.
“I knew we had to win the doubles point. We came out and played great doubles. In singles, every court was close and we knew we had to do well at the number four and five spots, explained Judge.” “Our guys fought hard and it came down to a couple of points. We just worked hard.”
With the wins, both teams receive automatic qualifications to the NCAA Division I Men's and Women's Championship. Team selections will be announced on ESPNews on Tuesday, May 4 at 5 p.m. EST.
2010 Women's All-Tournament Team:
Number One Doubles: Daria Sekerina and Maria Craicun, South Carolina State
Number Two Doubles: Rachel Pye and Alexis Brown, Florida A&M
Number Three Doubles: Amy Chen and Sarai Torres, South Carolina State
Singles:
1. Michelle Brown, Howard
2. Brittney Morgan, Howard
6. Anne Akhimien, Howard
Runner-Up Team: Howard University
2010 MEAC Women's Tennis Champion: South Carolina State University
2010 Men's All-Tournament Team
Number One Doubles: David Jackson and Michael Moore, Florida A&M
Number Two Doubles: Jan Langer and Dmytro Kovalevych, South Carolina State
Number Three Doubles: Peter Vingradovs and David Grund, South Carolina State
Singles:
1. David Jackson, Florida A&M
3. Dmytro Kovalevych, South Carolina State
4. Dmytro Kovalevych, South Carolina State
5. Alexsadr Malko, South Carolina State
6. Temuera Asafa-Adjaye, Florida A&M
Outstanding Performer: Dmytro Kovalevych, South Carolina State
Runners-Up: Florida A&M University
2010 MEAC Men's Tennis Champion: Hardeep Judge, South Carolina State
