MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (Jan. 17, 2026)--The Morgan State women's tennis team began the 2026 season with a 7-0 non-conference loss at West Virginia at Summit Tennis Academy. It was the third consecutive season that the Lad Bears opened the season on the road against the Mountaineers.
 
West Virginia (1-0) claimed the doubles point over Morgan State with wins at the No. 1 and No. 3 positions. The Mountaineers then won all six singles matches for the final score.
 
Morgan State's Michaela Stephens and Lucia Tognoni each gave their opponents fits during their matches. Playing at No. 2 singles, Stephens opened up with a 6-4 victory in the first set and Angelina Joao earned a 6-2 second set victory to force a third set.
 
Next Up: The Lady Bears (0-1) will be off until Sunday, Jan. 25 when they travel to Annapolis, Md. to face the Naval Academy.
 
      
How It Happened
Doubles
No. 1 – Julie Bousseau/Zuzana Kudlackova (WV) d. Tyler Williams/Damla Arsian 6-2
No. 2 – Audrey Moutama/Lyla Byers (WV) d. Michaela Stephens/Julia Jeffrey 5-4, unfinished
No. 3 – Laura Villanueva Morillo/Lucia Tognoni (WV) d. Amira Bargaoui/Roua Limem 6-0
 
Singles
No. 1 – Audrey Moutama (WV) d. Amira Bargaoui 6-2, 6-2
No. 2 – Julie Bousseau (WV) d. Michaela Stephens 4-6, 6-2, 6-4
No. 3 – Laura Villanueva Morillo (WV) d. Damla Arslan 7-5, 6-3
No. 4 – Zuzana Kudlackova (WV) d. Julia Jeffrey 7-5, 6-3
No. 5 – Lyla Byers (WV) d. Lauryn Hall 6-4, 6-4
No. 6 – Lucia Tognoni (WV) d. 6-1, 2-6, 10-3


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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.