NORFOLK, Va.—The South Carolina State women's tennis team continued their run through the 2019 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Tennis Championships on Friday at the Folkes-Stevens Tennis Center, while the men advanced to the finals for the second straight year.
 
On the women's side, South Carolina State opened the day with a 4-0 win over North Carolina Central. The Lady Bulldogs, the top seed from the Southern Division, took the doubles point before winning the singles matches at the Nos. 4, 5 and 6 positions.
 
Divya Murali won her match 6-2, 6-1, while First Team All-MEAC selection Zainab Bendahhou (6-0, 6-2) and Chiara Carnelluti (6-1, 6-3) were also victorious.
 
Meanwhile, Bethune-Cookman – the No. 4 seed from the Southern Division – continued its spirited run with a 4-2 win over rival Florida A&M – the division's No. 2 seed. B-CU opened affairs by taking the doubles point.
  
 South Carolina State and Bethune-Cookman will meet at 9 a.m. on Saturday for the championship. The Lady Bulldogs are looking for their first title since 2017 and 14^th overall; Bethune-Cookman has four titles, its last coming in 2015.
 
On the men's side, South Carolina State and Morgan State defeated their respective opponents 4-1 to set up a rematch of last year's championship match. The Bears, the Northern Division's top seed, got out to a quick start by taking the doubles point before claiming the Nos. 2, 3 and 4 singles.
 
 South Carolina State knocked off Bethune-Cookman, notching the doubles point before Aleksa Daskalovic (No. 2 singles), Marcelo Rodriguez (No. 3) and Sel Bel Ali (No. 6) all won in straight sets to dispatch of the Wildcats.
 
Bel Ali defeated Jonathan Thomas 6-0, 6-0 to clinch the match.
 
South Carolina State's men will go for their 16^th MEAC title overall, and their second straight, while Morgan State will once again try for its first ever championship. Their match will begin at 12 p.m.
 
The championship is free and open to the public.