NCCU WT v. South Carolina State
RALEIGH, N.C. (www.NCCUEaglePride.com) - With the doubles point in their favor and the Bulldogs securing the No. 3, No. 5 and No. 6 singles wins, the Lady Eagles of North Carolina Central University fell 4-0 to South Carolina State University on Saturday, April 14 in Raleigh, N.C., during the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Women’s Tennis Tournament on the Millbrook Tennis Center courts.
“I am so proud of our student-athletes,” said NCCU head women’s tennis coach David Nass. “Despite today’s loss, their performance displayed our potential as a Division I tennis powerhouse.”
The No. 1 doubles match, as well as the No. 1, No. 2 and No. 4 singles contests were unfinished once SCSU secured the necessary point leverage, none the less their performance is more than note worthy.
In her second meeting with Suhalia Jad, No. 1 singles player Olesya Palko was close to defeat with a first set 6-3 advantage, while No. 2 singles competitor Cameron Chatman was nearing revenge with a 6-3 win in set one and a 3-0 lead in set two against Akilah James. On March 19, in their initial meeting with SCSU, James defeated Chatman 6-0, 6-0. No. 4 singles opponent Rebecca Wood was in a challenging 6-3, 2-4 battle with Sabrina Mendez. Mendez also defeated Wood 6-0, 6-0 in their initial season meeting.
Doubles pair Chatman and Palko were gridlocked 5-5 before the No. 2 and No. 3 doubles contests sealed the doubles point for the Bulldogs.
“These young ladies are pioneers,” said Nass. “Their accomplishments this weekend, is the standard for the NCCU women’s tennis program in future conference play.”
To advance to Sunday, April 15 championship play, Jad and Mendez defeated Ekaterina Nerkrasova and Wood 8-3, as Victoria Khatai and Laura Bosneag conquered Lakisha Mcdougald and Julia Aguilar 8-0.
The Bulldogs secured the win and ended the match with 6-0, 6-0 wins by Khatai and Bosneag in the No. 5 and No. 6 slot. Aguilar competed in the No. 5 space, as Mcdougald played in the No. 6 position. Craciun took the final win 6-0, 6-3 win over Nekrasova.
“The future of this program is bright. I am excited for the growth of our freshmen and next season’s newcomers,” said Nass.
NCCU concludes the season with a record of 9-10 overall and 6-3 in the conference.
For more information on NCCU women’s tennis visit the official athletics website at
www.NCCUEaglePride.com.
*A typical tennis match will execute all matches to determine a winner, however during conference tournament play, once a team has notched four wins the entire match is ended.*
