Kante Can Take FAMU to the Next Level

Senegal, West Africa native a former JUCO No. 1

Tallahassee, FL - Salif Kante grew up immersed in the game of tennis. His dad taught him the game in his native Senegal and when he was named the top junior college player in the country last year, it wasn't much of a surprise. Now, Kante is trying to put FAMU on the national map.

"That's why I came here. To win the title," Kante said with a chuckle. A couple of weeks ago, Kante won the single title at the Florida State University Invitational.

"If I go to a tournament I'm just gonna play my game," he said. "I don't care who plays. I'm just gonna play."



That's how he was taught thousands of miles away with the rest of his siblings. His older brother and younger sister were mentored by their father, who is a coach and owns a tennis club back in West Africa.

When Kante was finishing high school, he wanted ...

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Seven Members of the Howard Tennis Team Achieve National ITA Scholar-Athlete Award Status

Alyssa Works

Washington, D.C. - Five women and two men qualified for Intercollegiate Tennis Association’s 2011 National ITA Scholar-Athlete’s Award. The award is given annually tennis student-athletes who are varsity letter winners, have a grade point average of 3.5 or above (on a 4.0 scale) for the current academic year, and have been enrolled at their present school for at least 2 semesters.

"I'm just tremendously proud of their success as both students and atheltes," commented head coach Lawrence Strickland. "It is indicative of the way these young men and women perform all of their tasks."

Anne Akhimien

The women are lead by senior Health Science major, Alyssa Works with a 4.0. Other women’s team award winners include Anne Akhimien a junior Human Nutrition major with a 3.87, Michelle Brown a junior Biology major with a 3.85, Brooke Hawthorne a freshman Marketing major with a 3.65 and Amber Cuff a senior Fashion Merchandising major with a 3.59. The two men receiving the award are Christopher Brown a senior Radio-TV and Film major with a 3.61 and freshman Timothy Staton-Davis a Systems and Computer Science major with a 3.76.

Michelle Brown

The eight member woman’s team achieved the 2011 ITA All-Academic Team award given to a team that records (1) a grade point average of 3.2 or above on a 4.0 scale (2)all NCAA eligible student –athletes who are letter winners GPA’s for the current year must be averaged. The team had GPA average of 3.48. This is first time in ten years the women have received the award. The seven men and women bring the total to sixty-two National ITA Scholar-Athlete awards since 1998.




by Jamilah Corbett, Assistant Director of Sports Information
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S.C. State tennis teams get ‘reward’ with Florida rematch

Orangeburg, S.C. - Visit Hardeep Judge's office at South Carolina State University and there's an impressive display of championship glory starting at his desk.

Lined up in order on each side are 13 of the 14 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference title plaques won by both the men's and women's tennis teams during the head coach's tenure. Other numerous Most Outstanding Coach awards are also posted on the walls.

Given the program's championship resume, Judge was hoping Tuesday for a more favorable seeding for his teams when the NCAA released the tournament brackets. He was especially optimistic for the Lady Bulldogs, who earned key out-of-conference wins this season over West Virginia and North Carolina-Wilmington, won a seventh straight conference title and have a player, Daria Sekerina, listed in the latest Intercollegiate Tennis Association Top 125 rankings.

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NCCU Sibling standouts share bond

One minute with Trey and Cameron Chatman, and you immediately sense a special bond between the brother and sister.

Although they have different personalities - Cameron is reserved and laid back, while Trey has the bright grin and fiery spirit - both seemed as one as they discussed their relationship during our interview last Thursday. That bond extends onto the tennis courts at N.C. Central as well.

Cameron just finished her junior season on the women's team as the No. 2 singles players (16-4) and part of the No. 1 doubles team (12-8). Trey, a senior, accomplished his personal goal of 10 single wins. They both helped lead their teams to their best seasons since NCCU reclassified to Division I.



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South Aiken's Dingle signs to play college tennis at Prairie View

Aiken, S.C. - South Aiken High School senior Jonathan Dingle took the next step to continuing his tennis career on Wednesday, signing to play at Prairie View A&M University in Prairie View, Texas. Dingle chose the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) institution over Winston-Salem State, North Carolina Central and Florida A&M for the opportunity to compete on a bigger stage.

"The fact that they were a major D-I school and the better chances to win the conference title and make it to the NCAA Tournament," was key, he said.

The Panthers' men's tennis team advanced to the SWAC semifinals this season, and played in last year's NCAA Tournament. Dingle said he was looking forward to the travel arrangements of college tennis.


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NSU Men's and Women's Tennis Highlights vs. Delaware

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SWAC West champion Southern defeats Xavier 9-0

NEW ORLEANS — Southern University, the Southwestern Athletic Conference West Division champion, defeated Xavier University of Louisiana 9-0 Sunday in a women's dual at City Park Tennis Center.

The Lady Jaguars (9-5) won every set but one and picked up defaults at No. 3 doubles and No. 6 singles to defeat the shorthanded Gold Nuggets (3-14) for the second straight season.

Jo'Vonna Gaines, Carlista Mohammed and Kathryn Curtis won singles and doubles matches for Southern. Gaines and Mohammed defeated sisters Melissa and Nicole DeLoach 8-0 at No. 1 doubles, and Mohammed beat Amber Brown 6-0, 6-1 at No. 1 singles. Curtis and Lois Alexis improved their win streak to 10 matches with an 8-0 decision against Brown and Carmen Nelson at No. 2 doubles.

Nelson won her first set against Demetria Woods at No. 3 singles, but Woods rallied for a 2-6, 6-2, 1-0 (10-6) victory. Freshman Lisbeth Castaneda clinched the dual with her 6-3, 6-0 victory against Ashley McGill at No. 5 singles.



Xavier, an NAIA member, has dropped three consecutive duals — its second in as many days against an NCAA Division I opponent — and 12 of its last 13. Half of the Gold Nuggets' losses this season are against NCAA D-I.

Xavier's women and men will visit William Carey at 10 a.m. next Sunday. Southern will visit Nicholls State at 1:30 p.m. Tuesday.

By Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
Xavier University of Louisiana
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S.C. State's Judge earns 300th victory

South Carolina State men's and women's tennis coach reached a milestone in Bulldog history Saturday, March 19 when the S.C. State women downed N.C. A&T (7-0).

Judge, was already the winningest tennis coach in S.C. State history, earned his 300th career win with the triumph.

"When I started coaching I never thought I would reach such a milestone so early on in my career," said Judge. "It's a great feeling and I am really happy for our program and where we are headed."

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D-I Radford Rumbles Past Xavier Gold Rush, 8-1

NEW ORLEANS -- Radford, winner of the last five Big South Conference regular-season men's championships in NCAA Division I, defeated NAIA No. 8 Xavier University of Louisiana 8-1 Thursday at the University of New Orleans Tennis Center.

Xavier (8-4) scored its point in the final completed match when freshman Jonathan Aubrey defeated Alex Metzner 6-3, 4-6, 1-0 (10-7) at No. 6 singles.

Radford (7-3) ended a couple of Xavier streaks. Ivan Salec and Thomas Dehaen won 8-3 at No. 1 doubles to end the five-match win streak of Zach Taylor and Hassan Abbas. Dehaen won 7-6 (7-5), 6-0 at No. 2 singles to end Abbas' four-match streak.

Salec, ranked 67th in singles by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association, played doubles only. Freshmen Stijn Meulemans and Paul Boslet won in singles and doubles for the Highlanders, with Meulemans beating Taylor 6-0, 6-2 at the top flight. Radford freshmen Joe Mills and Randall Carter also won in singles.

Radford has won three straight duals and six of its last seven. Xavier has dropped two straight. Three of the Gold Rush's four losses this season are to D-I teams.

It was Xavier's first home match since Feb. 8. The dual, scored by NAIA rules, was postponed Wednesday because of morning thunderstorms and moved from City Park.

Both Xavier teams will play NAIA opponents Friday in the AUM Invitational at Montgomery, Ala. XU's women, ranked 24th, will play No. 13 Lindsey Wilson at 9:30 a.m., and the XU men will play Georgetown (Ky.) at 10 a.m.

By Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
Xavier University of Louisiana
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FAMU Rattlers sign five-star tennis prospect

Clark, a Sophomore Business Administration Major was named to the Peach Belt Conference All-Academic team.

Levan Clark had all of the accolades that come with being a five-star tennis player when he was recruited by Florida A&M two years ago. He was ranked No. 10 among all Florida players and No. 65 in the nation among high school recruits. Qualifying to enroll at FAMU was another issue, and as a result Clark spent three semesters at Lander University, a Division II school in Greenwood, S.C.

But a day after signing to transfer to FAMU, Clark said Tuesday it all turned out for the better. "I'm more experienced now," said Clark, a left-hander out of Orlando Olympia High School. "I feel I can contribute a lot to make the team better. "I feel like the more experience we have the better off we're going to be. I feel with my experience in a tight situation I will stay calm and come through to win the match."

He did a lot of that for Lander this past season. In singles matches he went 14-5 and had an identical record in doubles. He was 6-3 in Peach Belt Conference matches.

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NCCU Student-Athlete Plays Piano Too

DURHAM, N.C. -- Stephen Allsop, just having completed a match for the N.C. Central University tennis team, made a quick stop at the James E. Shepard Library on campus before racing off to study for his final in epistemology. Allsop, who will graduate summa cum laude from the university this week, is almost always busy, racing off somewhere. But he's comfortable handling multiple responsibilities. "The key is being able to prioritize," he said. "You have to determine what needs to be done and what needs to be done first."

Senior tennis athlete Stephen Allsop, from Beltsville, Maryland's High Point H.S. is the first student-athlete in the history of North Carolina Central University to be accepted into Harvard Medical School's M.D./Ph.D program. The undergraduate turned down offers from the University of Pennsylvania and Johns Hopkins University to attend NCCU.

Doing that has made Allsop the first student-athlete in the history of NCCU to be accepted into Harvard Medical School's M.D./Ph.D program. A biology major who has minored in jazz piano and chemistry, Allsop already has a resume of awards and honors that would be the envy of those three times his age. A year ago he was one of just 278 college students across the nation to win the prestigious Goldwater Scholarship. He has been a Chancellor's scholar and a National Achievement Scholar, an undergraduate research fellow and the president of the NCCU chapter of the Golden Key Honor Society.

"His thirst for knowledge separates him from many students I've come across," said Antonio Baines, a biology professor at NCCU in whose lab Allsop has worked. "His curiosity and inquisitiveness are very impressive. He's just genuinely curious. He wants to know the answer." And in addition to being very bright, Baines said, "Allsop works hard as well."

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SCSU tennis teams hope for happier ending at Chapel Hill

The postseason plans for the South Carolina State tennis teams might as well been scripted by a wedding planner - something old, something new and something (powder) blue.

On Thursday, the men’s and women’s teams learned their reward for winning the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference regular-season and tournament titles was another trip down Tobacco Road to Chapel Hill, North Carolina. For the second time in three years, the Bulldogs and Lady Bulldogs will face the University of North Carolina on its homecourt at the Cone-Kenfield Tennis Center next weekend.

The SCSU women (13-3), will face the 15th-seed Lady Tar Heels (17-8) on May 9 starting at 10 a.m. The following day, the SCSU men (18-3) will face 12th-seed UNC (19-5) at the same time.

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FAMU Rattlers remain undefeated in MEAC

Photo: Dr. Carl B. Gooman is in his 11th season as the FAMU Men's Tennis Coach and has guided the Rattlers to eight MEAC championships.

Men's tennis able to take care of B-CU.

Paul Paige didn't need a lot of motivation, although he was playing the No. 6 spot for FAMU's men's tennis team. Just playing Bethune-Cookman University was enough motivation Friday afternoon.

He fought off a couple of service breaks to put down Kristofer Martin 6-2, 6-3 to help secure a 6-1 victory over the Wildcats. FAMU, 9-10 overall, remains the only undefeated team in the Southern Division of the MEAC standings with its third straight conference win.

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S.C. State downs Jacksonville State in Tennis

The South Carolina State men's and women's team earned a sweep over Jacksonville State Tuesday with the men winning 5-2 and the women earning a 6-1 victory at the SCSU Tennis Facility.

The Bulldogs improved to 10-1 with their victory, while the Lady Bulldogs climbed to 6-1 on the year.

The S.C. State women return to action Friday when they host North Carolina A&T at 2 p.m. The men's and women's team will take on Norfolk State at 1 p.m. on Saturday.

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SCSU tennis teams keep rolling

The SC State men's and women's teams continued its winning ways with the Bulldogs posting a 2-0 record, while The Lady Bulldogs went 3-0 in tennis action this past weekend. Coach Hardeep Judge's men's team defeated Bethune-Cookman (7-0) and Winston-Salem State (7-0) on Saturday, while the Lady Bulldogs posted wins over Savannah State (4-1), Winston-Salem State (7-0) and Bethune-Cookman (6-1).

With the wins both SC State men's and women's team improve to 5-1 overall, 3-0 in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference.

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