BALTIMORE, Md. (April 6, 2019) -- The Morgan State men's tennis team returned to the conference portion of its schedule to defeat Beltway rival Howard 4-1 Saturday afternoon at the MSU Tennis Courts. The win improved the Bears record to 9-6 and 1-0 with their first conference win of the season, while the Bison fell to 1-11 (1-2 MEAC).
"I'm so proud of our team today," said MSU coach Matthew Townes. "We needed a statement win and that's exactly what we got."
"Our seniors stepped up and led us all the way to victory. Now it's time to regroup and get ready for tomorrow's battle."
Morgan State started with the momentum and never let up, earning victories on Courts 3 and 1 on the way to winning the doubles point. Serhii Kharchez and Arjun Ramakrishnan recorded a 6-3 victory against the duo of Kyle Martin and DeVaughn Blackburn. Sebastian Lopez and Shrey Gupta battled to a 6-4 win against Lyn Roger and Karim Shokeir to help give the Bears the early advantage.
Nihit Rawal jumpstarted the Bears in singles when the junior posted a 6-4, 6-3 win against Gittens at number 2. Ceylan followed it up with a 6-6, 3-0 win against Shokeir.
At number one singles, the set went to a tiebreaker between Kharchez and Roger. Kharchez held on to win narrowly with a 6-4, 2-6, 3-2 win.
Howard avoided being shutout when Sagar Raju won the No. 6 singles by default.
The Bears will return to action Sunday, April 7, when they welcome Norfolk State to MSU Tennis Courts. First serve is set for 10 a.m.
About Morgan
Morgan State University, founded in 1867, is a Carnegie-classified doctoral research institution offering more than 100 academic programs leading to degrees from the baccalaureate to the doctorate. As Maryland's Preeminent Public Urban Research University, Morgan serves a multiethnic and multiracial student body and seeks to ensure that the doors of higher education are opened as wide as possible to as many as possible. For more information about Morgan State University, visit www.morgan.edu.
