NORFOLK, Va – With one of the youngest teams in the league, many of Norfolk State's players will get their first glimpse of postseason play this week. The No. 6 seed Spartans will open the MEAC Championships against No. 3 South Carolina State at 11 a.m. on Thursday, the entire tournament taking place at Cary Tennis Park in Cary, North Carolina.
 
The Spartans' entire roster is made up of freshman and sophomores, led by first-year Aleksandra Evdokimova at the top of the lineup. The team will have to upset the powerhouse Bulldogs to make it past the first round, winners of four of the last five MEAC championships.
 
First Meeting
 
The Spartans (3-14, 1-5 MEAC) and Lady Bulldogs (6-9, 4-2) didn't face each another in the MEAC Tennis Roundup, but they did meet later in the season at Hardeep Judge Tennis Center in Orangeburg, South Carolina. SCSU took the first matchup 6-1, with multiple tight singles matches making the difference.

SCSU edged out all three doubles matches to take the opening point, winning 6-3 on Court 1, 6-4 on Court 2, and 6-4 on Court 3. The Lady Bulldogs cruised to victories at No. 2 and No. 5 singles, putting them one point away from clinching the victory.
 
The final four matches featured long rallies and close games, though. An injury forced Laura Ruiz to retire at No. 6 singles, and an illness forced the same from Amber Fuller after splitting the first two sets. Evdokimova lost a heartbreaker 7-5, 1-6, 1-0 (10-7), at the top spot in the lineup, while Breana Cook notched the Spartans' lone point of the day with a 6-4, 6-2 win at the No. 4 position.
 
Scouting the Lady Bulldogs
 
SCSU boasts a deep lineup that can contend with anyone in the MEAC.  The Lady Bulldogs went 4-2 in the conference, dropping tight matches against Morgan State and Howard, both by a score of 4-3. Rachida Berjane has shouldered the load at No. 1 singles for most of the season, going 4-2 in MEAC play.
 
Nalanda Silva, who Cook defeated in the teams' first meeting of the season, has been an absolute force at No. 4 singles this season. She boasts a 5-1 record in conference play, with Cook handing the Brazilian sophomore her only loss.