Women's Tennis Advances To Title Match; Defeats No. 1 FAMU, 4-2

NORFOLK, Va. (April 27, 2018)-The Morgan State women's tennis team is heading back to the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Tennis championship title match for the first time in five years, following a 4-2 semifinal victory over No. 1 Florida A&M on Friday morning at the Folkes-Stevens Tennis Center on the Old Dominion campus.

Morgan State (11-12), who entered the championships as the No. 2 seed in the MEAC Northern Division, will now square off against northern division champion and top-seeded Hampton (11-7) in Saturday's title match. First serve is at 9 a.m.

Hampton, who will look to claim its sixth MEAC championship before its leaves the join the Big South Conference for the 2018-19 season, advanced to the title match with a 4-3 victory over No. 2 Bethune-Cookman out of the southern division.

The Lady Pirates handed Morgan State its lone conference loss of the season, defeating the Lady Bears 4-2 on March 31 in Hampton, Va.

The Lady Bears are in search of the program's second MEAC championship and first since 1994. Morgan State last reached the MEAC title match in 2013, before falling to South Carolina State, 4-3 at the Millbrook Tennis Center in Raleigh, N.C.

On Friday the Lady Bears dropped the doubles point to the Rattlers with losses at the No. 2 and No. 3 spots to fall behind 1-0.

The Lady Bears would even the score at 1-1 with Danielle Thompson's No. 1 singles victory over FAMU's Mia Rakotondrazafy 6-3, 6-0. The victory would extend Thompson's season-long winning streak to --- straight.

From that point on, Morgan State would not look back. The Lady Bears would win the next two singles matches to increase their lead to 3-1.

Peggy Rooke defeated the Rattlers' Haleigh Porter in straight sets 6-2, 6-2 in a No. 3 match and Alexus Gill followed with a 6-3, 6-3 victory over Karen Machisa at No. 2.

The Rattlers would not go away, getting a No. 4 singles victory from Aylen Hubeaut to pull FAMU within a point at 3-2. But Morgan State would shut the door when Asmara Faluke earned a 7-5, 6-2 victory over Sophia Osabouhien at No. 6, to send the Lady Bears to the title match.

MEAC Semifinal
Morgan State 4, Florida A&M 2
April 27, 2018
Norfolk, Va. (Folkes-Stevens Tennis Center)

Singles
No. 1 – Danielle Thompson (MSU) d. Mia Rakotondrazafy 6-3, 6-0
No. 2 – Alexus Gill (MSU) d. Karen Machisi 6-3, 6-3
No. 3 – Peggy Rooke (MSU) d. Haleigh Porter 6-2, 6-2
No. 4 – Aylen Hubeaut (FAMU) d. Oriane Yehouenou 6-4, 6-3
No. 5 – Rachel Harden (FAMU) vs. Dana Santiago unfinished
No. 6 – Asmara Faluke (MSU) d. Sophia Osabouhien 7-5, 6-2
Doubles
No. 1 – Rakotondrazafy/Machisi (FAMU) vs. Thompson/Rooke unfinished
No. 2 – Porter/Hubeaut (FAMU) d. Gill/Faluke 6-3
No. 3 – Harden/Osabouhien (FAMU) d. Yehouenou/Santiago 6-2

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