NORFOLK, Va., —The Florida A&M Rattlers pulled an upset Saturday knocking off the defending MEAC Champion Bulldogs 4-2 in the championship match of the 2017 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Men's Tennis Championship held at the Folkes-Stevens Tennis Center on the campus of Old Dominion University.
South Carolina State's quest for their ninth straight league crown fell short, with the Rattlers claiming their first MEAC title in men's tennis since 2000.
The Bulldogs captured the doubles point to begin the match, but the Rattlers bounced back in a big way during singles play. Of the five singles matches that ran to completion, Florida A&M won four of them; the Bulldogs' lone singles win came in the No. 6 slot, where Aleksander Stupar came away with a 6-1, 6-4 victory.
Karlyn Small and Walner Espinoza picked up straight-set victories for the Rattlers; Small defeated
Jakub Vitek 6-3, 6-4 in the No. 3 slot, while Espinoza won in the No. 4 position 6-2, 6-4 over
Soufiane Mouline.
The clincher came in the No. 5 spot, where Frederico Nani overcame a 4-3 deficit in the final set, scoring the last three points to secure a 0-6, 6-2, 6-4 victory over
Stanislav Baco.
Carlos Waitman, in No. 2, also had a three-set win – 2-6, 6-2, 6-0 over
Vladyslav Yanchenko.
Espinoza was named the tournament's Outstanding Performer, while head coach Rochelle Goldthreate was named the Outstanding Coach.
The Rattlers earn the MEAC's automatic bid to the NCAA Div. I Men's Tennis Championships; the selection show will be on Tuesday, May 2 at 5 p.m. on NCAA.com.
Outstanding Performer: Walner Espinoza, Florida A&M
Outstanding Coach: Rochelle Goldthreate, Florida A&M
All-Tournament Team
#1 Doubles: Martin Figura/
Jakub Vitek, South Carolina State
#2 Doubles: Vladyslav Yanchenko/
Stanislav Baco, South Carolina State
#3 Doubles: Frederico Nani/Jalen Evans, Florida A&M
#1 Singles: Courage Okungbowa, Florida A&M
#2 Singles: Arjun Ramakrishnan, Morgan State
#3 Singles: Karlyn Small, Florida A&M
#4 Singles: Walner Espinoza, Florida A&M
#5 Singles: Frederico Nani, Florida A&M
#6 Singles: Aleksander Stupar, South Carolina State
2017 MEAC Southern Division Regular Season Champions
