A perfect stretch for the Howard tennis programs were the highlight of Howard Athletics' latest "Bison Weekend Roundup."

HOWARD DOMINATES UMES IN TENNIS MATCHUPS

WASHINGTON, DC --- The Howard men's and women's tennis teams put on an impressive display in their first home Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference matches of the season, scoring a pair of 7-0 victories over Maryland Eastern Shore on Friday afternoon.

The Bison men picked up their first win of the season with a 6-0 victory over the Hawks. HU only lost three total games and won every flight in straight sets. The Lady Bison were even more dominating, not dropping a game at all en route to their third straight win.

Prior to the matches, Bison freshman Ismael Kaouache was named the MEAC Tennis Athlete of the Week for his performance against North Carolina Central on March 15.

WOMEN'S TENNIS SINKS NAVY, 5-2

ANNAPOLIS, MD --- The Howard women's tennis rolled to a 5-2 victory over the Mids of Navy on Saturday afternoon at the Fluegel-Moore Tennis Stadium at the Brigade Sports Complex. The Lady Bison pushed their winning streak to four games.

Brooke Hawthrone paced Howard as the senior was one of three Lady Bison to win their singles and doubles matches during the day. Hawthrone won her No. 5 singles match in straight sets (6-3, 6-3) and teamed with fellow senior Katelyn Stokes to take care of their No. 1 match (8-4).

TENNIS TEAMS SWEEP WAGNER

WASHINGTON, DC --- The Howard men's and women's tennis teams picked up shutout victories over the visiting Wagner College Seahawks on Sunday afternoon.
The Bison and Lady Bison claimed 7-0 wins against Wagner to extend their winning streaks to two and five games, respectively.

On the men's side, Howard (2-10) won each singles match in straight sets and only once lost more than three games in a set (two shutouts, four 1-game sets, five 2-game sets, one 3-game set).

Freshman Ismael Kaouache - the current MEAC Tennis Athlete of the Week - won his match at No. 2 singles, defeating Wagner's Sawyer Fonda, 6-0, 6-2. Kaouache also paired with sophomore Myron Davis to win their No. 1 doubles matchup, 8-4.

On the women's side, Howard (6-3) won in convincing fashion by holding Wagner to six games in four straight set victories, four games in three doubles wins, and a pair of pro set shutouts at No.5 and No. 6 singles with the match in hand.

SOFTBALL SWEPT BY UMES IN OPENING MEAC SERIES

PRINCESS ANNE, MD --- The first three-game series of the Howard softball team's Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) slate resulted in an 0-3 weekend for the Lady Bison against the Maryland Eastern Shore Hawks.

GAME 1 (MARCH 22) / HOWARD 3, UMES 6
Five players recorded a hit for the Lady Bison, including three with an RBI apiece. Those three runs were brought in by freshman, Imani Ballard, freshmen Alex Flynn and junior Al-Asia Davis during the top of the third inning after both teams went scores in the first two frames.

UMES would match HU's output in the bottom half the inning to tie the game at 3-3. Two innings later, the Hawks would strike again with another three runs to take the lead for good.

GAME 2 (MARCH 22) / HOWARD 2, UMES 7
The early part of Game 2 resembled parts of Game 1 for Howard and UMES. The Hawks would strike first this team, scoring one run in the bottom of the opening inning. Sophomore Jasmine Gammons would tie the score in the next half-inning thanks to a solo homerun, her second of the season.

However, UMES quickly responded in the next half-inning with a five-run surge to take a 6-1 lead. Ballard would drive in Howard's final run in the top of the fifth but it would be matched by the Hawks to maintain their five-run advantage over the Lady Bison.

GAME 3 (MARCH 23) / HOWARD 4, UMES 9
Despite dropping the final contest of the three-game set, Howard was able to do some positive things: log multiple extra-base hits (two doubles and a home run); score one run in four consecutive innings; and drive in the most runs of the series.

Ballard again played well for Howard, going 2-of-4 at the plate with a RBI on her second homerun of the year, a solo blast in the third inning. The homer cut UMES' lead in half, 4-2, and HU would pull to within one (4-3) in the top of the fourth but could pull no closer as the home team tacked on another three runs in the next half inning.

Howard will look to break its losing streak during its first home stand of the year, a three-game set against Norfolk State University on March 29-30.