CARY, N.C. (March 23, 2024) — The North Carolina Central men's tennis team rallied to hand Morgan State a 4-3 loss on Day 2 action of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Roundup on Saturday at the Cary Tennis Courts in Cary, North Carolina.
Following the loss, Morgan falls to 5-8 on the season and 0-2 in conference play. N.C. Central improves to 5-10 overall (2-0).
The Bears captured the doubles point to take a1-0 lead, however the Eagles took four of the six singles matches. Lucas Artigas emerged victorious against Anthony Parris on court 6. It was a close battle, with neither player giving an inch. However, it was Artigas who ultimately prevailed, clinching the match with a 7-6, 6-4 victory.
In doubles action, the Bears duo of Rhajzon Rankins and Niles Rachal earned a 6-4 victory on court 1 against Oliver Saarinen and Kareem Abdul Hakim. Kondwani Patterson and Bakkijha Brown secured the doubles point for the Bears with a 6-3 win against Leo Fortier-Gariepy and Hugo Hidalgo Vega on court 2.
Leo Fortier-Gariepy knotted the match at 1-1 as he handed Makkijha Brown a crushing 6-0, 6-3 loss on court 3. The Bears reclaimed their lead on court 2 when Niles Rachal downed Kareem Abdul Hakim 6-3, 6-4. This win not only extended his personal win streak to four games, but also improved his overall record to an impressive 5-1 in singles action.
The Eagles responded with a pair on wins to take the match. Oliver Saarinen outlasted Kondwani Patterson for a 7-5, 3-6 win on court 5, followed by Lucas Artiga's match sealing victory on court 6.
Rhajzon Rankins completed the day with a hard-fought three set win against Naresh Bharathy. Rankins improved his record to 5-4 overall, and is now 4-0 in court 4 action.
Morgan returns to action at the Cary Tennis Center against Norfolk State on Sunday morning.
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ABOUT MORGAN
Morgan State University, founded in 1867, is a Carnegie-classified high research (R2) institution offering nearly 140 academic programs leading to degrees from the baccalaureate to the doctorate. As Maryland's Preeminent Public Urban Research University, and the only university to have its entire campus designated as a National Treasure by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, 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.
