Raleigh, N.C., April 21, 2013– The South Carolina State University Bulldogs defeated Florida A&M, 4-2, to win the 2013 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Men’s Tennis Championship title on Sunday at Millbrook Tennis Center in Raleigh N.C. The title was the sixth consecutive and 11th overall for the Bulldogs.
Florida A&M took an early 1-0 lead over South Carolina State with wins at the number one and three doubles positions. FAMU’s Salif Kante and Takura Happy defeated Anto Protsenko and Artemiy Nikitin, 8-5 to win one of the two doubles matches.
In singles play, Kante, the 2013 Player of the Year, put the Rattlers up 2-0 with a 6-1, 6-3 win over Tomas Bizon at the one position.
The Bulldogs’ Anton Protsenko defeated FAMU’s Chidi Gabril to earn their first point of the day, while Peteris Vinogradovs and Artemiy Nikitin followed with wins at the third and fourth spots to put South Carolina State ahead 3-2.
SCSU’s Marius Dragoi battled back to defeat Temuera Asafu-Adjaye to win the team’s fourth point and secure the title. Dragoi fought back from being down a set, and one game from losing the match, to win 4-6, 7-5, 6-0.
Artemiy Nikitin, 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 ninth time in his career.
With the win, South Carolina State receives the conference’s automatic qualification to the NCAA Division I Men’s Championship. The Division I Men’s Tennis Selection Show will air Tuesday, April 30 at 5:00 p.m. on NCAA.com.
For more information about MEAC Women’s Tennis, visit www.MEACsports.com
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Courtesy of MEACSports.com