Men's Tennis 4/16/2015 4:18:00 PM MSU Athletics Media Relations

Men's Tennis upset in MEAC Quarterfinals by #4 N.C. Central, 4-2

MSU's Duk Young-Park defeats MEAC Player of the Year

Duk Young-Park

CAYCE, S.C. (April 17, 2015) - Following a one-day delay due to inclement weather, senior Duk Young-Park knocked off the conference Player of the Year on Friday, but the Morgan State men's tennis team couldn't overcome North Carolina Central.

The No. 1 seeded Bears were upset by No. 4 seed N.C. Central 4-2 in the quarterfinals of the 2015 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Men's Tennis Championship on at the Cayce Tennis & Fitness Center in Cayce, South Carolina.

"We played really well today, but didn't capitalize on crucial opportunities in doubles and it cost us," said MSU coach Matt Townes.

In doubles action, the Eagles earned a 1-0 lead after winning the doubles point. MSU's No. 1 doubles pairing of Duk Young-Park and Evan Ward battled Daniil Gerasimov and Fabrie George suffering an 8-6 loss. Felix Andre and Sage Sathyanarayanan fell to William East and Tamina Kienka, 8-2, while Treajh Ferguson and Lucas Krinsinski were topped by Kert Kilumets and Thomas Persico, 8-4.

Young-Park, who was recently named to the All-MEAC First Team, recorded a 6-3, 6-3 victory at No. 2 singles by defeating Daniil Gerasimov, the MEAC Player of the Year. Freshman Lucas Krinsinski posted a 6-3, 6-2 win over Jamal Hoyte for the Bears only wins of the day.

Kert Kilumets, the MEAC Rookie of the Year, defeated Evan Ward 6-1, 6-2, at No. 1 singles. At No. 3 singles, Felix Andre dropped a hardfought matchup, 6-2, 7-6 (7-4), to William East and Tamina Kienka topped Treajh Ferguson 6-0, 6-1.

"This season our guys were asked to overcome a lot in a short period of time," Townes added. "We didn't have the win-loss record that we would like, but we got better every single day."

"We look forward to the continued excellent leadership and performance of Evan Ward, as well as continued growth and maturity of our freshman. Our recruiting class is very promising and we look forward to putting ourselves in the number 1 spot in the division for the fifth straight year."

With the win, No. 4 N.C. Central (11-9) advances to play No. South 2 seed Bethune-Cookman (13-6) on Friday (April 17) in the semifinals. The MEAC Championship will be played on Saturday, April 18 at noon.

Morgan State, who was the top seed in the championship out of the MEAC North Division, finished the season with a 4-11 record.

MEAC Quarterfinals
Singles competition
1. KILUMETS, Kert (NCCUM) def. WARD, Evan (MSUM) 6-1, 6-2
2. YOUNG-PARK, Duk (MSUM) def. GERASIMOV, Daniil (NCCUM) 6-3, 6-3
3. EAST, William (NCCUM) def. ANDRE, Felix (MSUM) 6-2, 7-6 (7-4)
4. KRINSINSKI, Lucas (MSUM) def. HOYTE, Jamal (NCCUM) 6-3, 6-2
5. FERGUSON, Treajh (MSUM) vs. KIENKA, Tamina (NCCUM) 4-6, 5-5, unfinished
6. KIENKA, Tamina (NCCUM) def. JAY, William (MSUM) 6-0, 6-1

Doubles competition
1. WARD, Evan/YOUNG-PARK, Duk (MSUM) def. GERASIMOV, Daniil /GEORGE, Fabrice (NCCUM) 8-6
2. EAST, William/KIENKA, Tamina (NCCUM) def. JAY, William/ANDRE, Felix (MSUM) 8-2
3. KILUMETS, Kert/PERSICO, Thomas (NCCUM) def. FERGUSON, Treajh/KRINSINSKI, Lucas

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Players Mentioned

Jannick Tash: 5' 9"; Senior

Evan Ward: 6' 1"; Sophomore

Duk Young-Park: 6' 2"; Junior

Joshua Abraham: 6' 7"; Freshman

Evan Ward: 6' 1"; Junior

Duk Young-Park: 6' 3"; Senior

Treajh Ferguson: 6' 1"; Freshman

Felix Andre: 5' 9"; Freshman

Players Mentioned

Jannick Tash
: 5' 9"; Senior

Evan Ward
: 6' 1"; Sophomore

Duk Young-Park
: 6' 2"; Junior

Joshua Abraham
: 6' 7"; Freshman

Evan Ward
: 6' 1"; Junior

Duk Young-Park
: 6' 3"; Senior

Treajh Ferguson
: 6' 1"; Freshman

Felix Andre
: 5' 9"; Freshman