Morris’ Big Win Leads Women's Tennis to MEAC Championship Match

Lerissa Morris won at No. 4 singles to help NSU upset Hampton

RALEIGH, N.C. – Lerissa Morris (Kingstown, SVG) rallied from a one-set deficit to win the final two sets at No. 4 singles to help the Norfolk State women's tennis team upset Northern Division top seed Hampton 4-3 on Saturday morning at the Millbrook Tennis Center. The Spartans will take on defending MEAC champion South Carolina State in the championship match at 9 a.m. on Sunday.

Hampton (9-10) seemed to dominate the match from the beginning, winning at Nos. 2 and 3 doubles to take the double point. Syreeta Thompson and Kelli Young defeated Brittany Foster (Norfolk, Va.) and Ashlee Daugherty (Las Vegas, Nev.) 8-0 at No. 2. Janelle Small and Maya Morgan downed Morris and Jennifer Astbury (Chesapeake, Va.) 8-5 at the third spot.

The Lady Pirates continued their winning ways in the singles matches. Fiorella Valdivia (Lima, Peru) fell 6-1, 6-1 to MEAC Player of the Year Na-Hyun Baek at No. 1 singles and Thompson beat Foster 6-0, 6-1 to give Hampton a 3-0 lead in the match.

But the Spartans came alive in the reaming singles matches and posted wins at Nos. 3 through 6. Stepanka Velebova (Tachov, Czech Republic), Astbury, and Daugherty each won their respective positions to tie the match at 3-3.

Behind 6-4 after the first set with Young, Morris won the remaining sets 6-4, 6-3 to seal the win and put an end to the four-hour marathon match.

South Carolina State, the top seed in the south, defeated the third seeded Florida A&M 4-0 and will compete for its fourth straight MEAC women's tennis title and fifth overall. The Lady Bulldogs defeated the Spartans 7-0 earlier this season.

Print Friendly Version