CAYCE, S.C., – The Bethune-Cookman Lady Wildcats defeated the South Carolina State Lady Bulldogs, 4-0, towin the 2015 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Women’s Tennis Championship title on Saturday at the Cayce Tennis & Fitness Center. The title is the first for the Lady Wildcats since 2001 and fourth overall.
“It was a hard but good fight and we were able to pull it out,” said Bethune-Cookman head coach Tim Pleasant. “South Carolina State put up an outstanding fight, we’re strong at doubles but every singles match was highly contested.”
In doubles action, the Lady Wildcats captured wins at the number one and three positions. B-CUs Mina Matsuba and Maria Sablina prevailed over Intissar Rassif and Dakota Brown, 8-2, and Alejandra Vidal and Maria Garoz-Moreno defeated Oleksandra Fillippova and Claudia Roca 8-0 to gain the first edge of the match.
Adel Musina grabbed the first singles victory of the evening with a 6-2, 6-1 victory over Dakota Brown. No. 4 Maria Garoz-Moreno claimed a hard fought second point against Andjela Vasic, 6-2, 6-1. Having won the final point in the semifinal matchup, No. 6 Alejandra Vidal, the Tournament’s Most Outstanding Performer, sealed her second straight match with a 7-6, 6-3 win over Smaranda Petreanu to seal the win.
In addition to Vidal’s tournament honor, B-CU’s Tim Pleasant was named the Outstanding Coach for the first time in his career.
With the win Bethune-Cookman (20-6) earned the conference’s automatic qualification to the NCAA Division I Women’s Tennis Championship. The NCAA selection show will air Tuesday, April 28, at 5:30 p.m. on NCAA.com.
South Carolina State finished the 2015 season with a 10-7 overall record.
2015 Women’s All-Tournament Teams:
Doubles:
1. Mina Matsuba and Maria Sablina, Bethune-Cookman
2. Gaby Chinchilla and Chinatsu Kajwara, Bethune-Cookman
3. Mario Garoz-Moreno and Alejandra Vidal, Bethune-Cookman
Singles:
1. Mina Matsuba, Bethune-Cookman
2. Rebecca Wood, North Carolina Central
3. Marketa Marcanikova, South Carolina State
4. Dominique Henry, Florida A&M
5. Adel Musina, Bethune-Cookman
6. Alejandra Vidal, Bethune-Cookman
Outstanding Performers: Alejandra Vidal, Bethune-Cookman
Outstanding Coach: Tim Pleasant, Bethune-Cookman
Runner-Up Team: South Carolina State University
2015 MEAC Women’s Tennis Champion: Bethune-Cookman University
Courtesy: B-CU Athletics
