CHARLOTTE, N.C. – For the 11th-consecutive season under the leadership of head coach, Sunday Enitan; the Shaw University women's tennis team (14-9, 11-1 CIAA) repeat as Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) Southern Division champions after earning a 5-2 victory at division foe Johnson C. Smith University (11-10, 8-2 CIAA).
Tuesday's contest served as sweet revenge for the Lady Bears as Shaw suffered its first conference loss to the Golden Bulls (4-2) back on Mar. 27.
Shaw won the doubles point with wins at the No. 2 and 3 doubles that featured a 7-5 decision from senior Teodora Jovanovic (Nis, Serbia) and junior Helena Fekete (Belgrade, Serbia) and then the freshman duo of Kundai Manyonga (Harare, Zimbabwe ) and Eva Ostermeier (Munich, Germany) earning a 6-1 win.
The match became tied at 1-1 after Jovanovic suffered a 6-2, 6-2 loss at No. 1 but senior Carmen Mantecon (Madrid, Spain) regained the lead for Shaw with a 6-1, 6-1 victor at No. 2 position.
JCSU tied the match for the second time with a win at the No. 3 singles but Shaw never folded, as Manyonga was a 6-2, 6-1 victor at the No. 4 singles while Ostermeier claimed a 6-1, 6-0 win at the No. 6 spot. Fekete took her opponent to three sets for a triumph 6-7, 6-0, and 10-8 win.
The Lady Bears will look to defend their title as CIAA women's tennis champions beginning on Thursday, May 2 in Bowie, Md., hosted by Bowie State University. Shaw will likely go into the tournament as the overall No. 1 seed and will likely go head-to-head with the No. 8 seed.
For the most up-to-date information on Shaw athletics and its 13 varsity sport teams, visit shawbears.com.
