Courtesy MEACSports.com
RALEIGH,N.C. (April 15) - The South Carolina State University Bulldogs defeated Florida A&M, 4-3, to win the 2012 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Men's Tennis Championship title on Sunday afternoon at Millbrook Tennis Center in Raleigh N.C. The title was the fifth consecutive and 10th overall for the Bulldogs.
In doubles play, Florida A&M took the early lead with wins at the number one and three positions.
South Carolina State won their first point during the singles matches at the number four spot when Peteris Vinogradous defeated FAMU's Chidi Gabriel to even the match at one apiece. The Bulldogs followed with a win at the number five spot as Artemiy Nikitin defeated Fabrice Myrtil 6-2, 6-0.
Florida A&M's C. Salif Kante, the 2012 MEAC Player of the Year, won at the number one singles position over South Carolina State's Tomas Bizon 6-3, 6-1, to tie the match at two-all.
The two teams continued to battle back and forth with South Carolina State winning at the number three singles position and Florida A&M getting the point at the number six singles spot.
Tied at three, South Carolina State's Dmytro Kovalevych and Florida A&M's Levan Clark played in the deciding game at the number two position. Kovalevych defeated Clark 6-2, 6-7, 6-1 to aid his team to the championship title.
Kovalevych, 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 eighth time in his career.
