CARY, N.C. – North Carolina Central men's tennis suffered its first conference loss of the season, falling 7-0 to South Carolina State on Monday afternoon at Cary Tennis Park.

NCCU (10-7, 3-1 MEAC) has met South Carolina State in each of the last three MEAC Championship matches and looked to halt the defending champions.

The Eagles challenged SCSU in doubles play, forcing tiebreakers in two matches. Naresh Bharathy and Antoni Pankowski dropped a 7-4 tiebreak in the No. 2 spot, while Pol Puig Montiel and Leo Fortier-Gariepy fell in a 7-3 tiebreak in the No. 3 slot.

South Carolina State carried that momentum into singles, sweeping all matches in straight sets. Kareem Abdul Hakim pushed his first set to a tiebreak in No. 3 singles, but his opponent prevailed before securing a 6-3 win in the second set.

SCSU (10-7, 5-0 MEAC) completed conference play undefeated, with one match remaining ahead of the 2026 MEAC Tennis Championships.

NC Central returns to action Thursday, April 9, hosting North Carolina A&T at 1 p.m. at Cary Tennis Park.

For more information on NCCU Athletics, visit NCCUEaglePride.com.