West Virginia State University Athletics

* Tournament Central
* Field, Seeds Set For MEC Tournament

BRIDGEPORT, W.Va. -- The fifth Mountain East Conference Women's Tennis Tournament will open play on Friday, Oct. 20, at the Brian David Fox Tennis Center in Huntington, W.Va. The winner will receive an automatic berth into the 2018 NCAA Tournament.

The University of Charleston is the defending champion after a stirring 5-4 upset over three-time champion West Virginia State in last year's final. The match came down to No. 1 singles, and Kristine Gegeshidze downed Laura Isbey in three sets. 

The Yellow Jackets, though, enter the tournament as the No. 1 seed after winning the regular season title for the fifth-straight year. West Virginia State has won three MEC Tournament titles to go with its five regular season championships. In fact, WVSU has lost just once to an MEC opponent since the league started, which was UC in last year's final. In the regular season meeting between the two, WVSU came out on top, but only by a 5-4 margin. WVSU was able to pick up a key 9-8 win at No. 3 doubles to help aid it to victory.

West Liberty is the three seed, and also played WVSU close in its regular season meeting as the Yellow Jackets downed the Hilltoppers 5-4. A pair of wins in singles at the top two spots, as well as wins at No. 1 and No. 2 doubles helped lead WVSU to the win. 

WLU will first have to take on sixth-seeded UVa-Wise in the quarterfinals. The Hilltoppers downed the Cavs 7-2 in the regular season matchup. The Cavaliers earned their way into the tournament with a win over Notre Dame in the final weekend. 

Fourth-seeded West Virginia Wesleyan will take on fifth-seeded Fairmont State. The Bobcats just missed the three seed with a narrow loss to West Liberty and defeated FSU 7-2 earlier this season. WVWC came on top in a couple of close matches at No. 1 and No. 2 doubles, and the first three singles matches were also competitive between WVWC and Fairmont State. The Fighting Falcons posted their best finish in the MEC regular season standings since the league started in 2013.


Tournament Information                                                                 
Dates: Friday, Oct. 20-Sunday, Oct. 22
Format: Top six qualify, top two teams earn byes to semifinals, single elimination
Location: Brian David Fox Tennis Center, Huntington, W.Va. | Local Weather
Alternate (Indoor) Location: Huntington Tennis Club
Updates: Twitter @TheMountainEast
Previous Champions: West Virginia State (2013, 2014, 2015), Charleston (2016)

Quarterfinals (Friday, Oct. 20)                                            
11 a.m.: #4 West Virginia Wesleyan vs. #5 Fairmont State
2 p.m.: #3 West Liberty vs. #6 UVa-Wise
Quarterfinals Recap | Photos

Semifinals (Saturday, Oct. 21)                                            
11 a.m.: #1 West Virginia State vs. #4/5 Winner
2 p.m.: #2 Charleston vs. #3/6 Winner
Semifinals Recap | Photos

Finals (Sunday, Oct. 21)                                                      
11 a.m.: 
Championship Recap | Photos