SC State Men's Tennis Team Captures 2012 MEAC Championship

2012 MEAC Champions

RALEIGH, N.C.- The South Carolina State University Bulldogs defeated Florida A&M, 4-3, to win the 2012 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Men's Tennis Championship title on Sunday afternoon at Millbrook Tennis Center in Raleigh N.C. The title was the fifth consecutive and 10^th overall for the Bulldogs.
      In doubles play, Florida A&M took the early lead with wins at the number one and three positions.
“I am very proud of the way they responded under pressure,” said SC State head coach Hardeep Judge. “Give FAMU credit they played a great match and they are an awesome team just glad we were able to pull it off.”
        South Carolina State won their first point during the singles matches at the number four spot when Peteris Vinogradous defeated FAMU's Chidi Gabriel to even the match at one apiece. The Bulldogs followed with a win at the number five spot as Artemiy Nikitin defeated Fabrice Myrtil 6-2, 6-0.
      Florida A&M's C. Salif Kante, the 2012 MEAC Player of the Year, won at the number one singles position over South Carolina State's Tomas Bizon 6-3, 6-1, to tie the match at two-all.
       The two teams continued to battle back and forth with South Carolina State winning at the number three singles position and Florida A&M getting the point at the number six singles spot.
       Tied at three, South Carolina State's Dmytro Kovalevych and Florida A&M's Levan Clark played in the deciding game at the number two position. Kovalevych defeated Clark 6-2, 6-7, 6-1 to aid his team to the championship title.
       Kovalevych, who tallied a 3-0 mark in singles play, was named Outstanding Performer while head coach Hardeep Judge was named Men's Outstanding Coach for the eighth time in his career.
      With the win, South Carolina State receives the conference's automatic qualification to the NCAA Division I Men's Championship.

2012 MEAC Men's Tennis All-Tournament Teams:
Doubles:
1. C. Salif Kante and Chidi Gabriel, Florida A&M
2. Anton Protsenko and Dmytro Kovalevych, South Carolina State
3. Takura Happy and Temeura Asafu-Adjaye, Florida A&M

Singles:
1. C. Salif Kante, Florida A&M
2. Dmytro Kovalevych, South Carolina State
T3. Anton Protsenko, South Carolina State
T3. Santiago Lobelo, Bethune-Cookman
4. Peteris Vinogradovs, South Carolina State
5. Artemiy Nikitin, South Carolina State
6. Temeura Asafu-Adjaye, Florida A&M

Outstanding Performer: Dmytro Kovalevych, South Carolina State

Outstanding Coach: Hardeep Judge, South Carolina State

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