NORFOLK, Va. – A team that struggled to a 5-10 regular season finish advanced to its conference tournament championship thanks to a freshman who had appeared in just two regular season singles matches and a sophomore finding redemption.

Some days, these things just write themselves.

And it's a cool story – Bethune-Cookman is back in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference championship after a somewhat improbable but not outright impossible 4-2 semifinal victory over archrival Florida A&M Friday at the Folkes-Stevens Tennis Center at Old Dominion University.

BCU (7-10) will face South Carolina State, a 4-0 winner over North Carolina Central in the other semifinal, in the 9 a.m. championship game Saturday. The Lady Wildcats are in the championship for the ninth time in program history, the first time since their 2015 title and the first time under Head Coach Val Villucci.
   
Sophomore Rehaana Butt and freshman Afrika Smith combined for a doubles victory, then Butt beat Florida A&M's Haleigh Porter, whom she lost to in the regular season, at No. 2 singles while Smith, who had played twice in regular season singles, came off the bench and won at No. 6 singles.

Storybook stuff.

"I'm excited for the girls and my staff. It's a special time," Villucci said. "Not everyone can do this. Now it's a matter of remaining focus and trying to be ready for Saturday."

Back on April 4, Butt's three-set loss was the deciding point in a 4-3 setback to FAMU. This one? 6-1, 6-3.

 "You knew Rehaana was going to come out with a vengeance," Villucci said. "She wasn't going to let that happen again. Losses like that are the ones you learn from."

Needless to say, Butt was enjoying the moment.

"I'm redeemed. I'm vindicated and it is absolutely phenomenal," Butt said. "We put the work in to make it to the finals. If you would have told me after the FAMU loss that we would be in the championship, I would have said it was possible, but…. Now, here we are."

Butt also enjoyed that her doubles partner, Smith, played such a key role.

"It's marvelous she [Smith] had it in her," Butt said.

Smith has teamed with Butt for five straight No. 1 doubles victories and is 8-7 in doubles play this year, but in singles? Two February losses by counts of 6-0,6-0 and 6-1,6-0.

Nevertheless, Villucci went with Smith at No. 6 after Sheerly Bueno took ill Thursday night.

"We knew she could do it," Villucci said of Smith.

The nerves weren't there because Smith was facing Karen Machisa, who she just beat in the doubles. Smith posted a 6-0, 6-3 decision to give BCU a 3-0 lead.

"Because of the doubles victory, she [Machisa] was probably more worried about me than I was about her," Smith said. "To be honest, there was the self- assurance that I knew I had put in the work and I could play at this level.  It makes me feel all the better knowing I contributed a singles and doubles point."

FAMU (10-12) closed to 3-2 but Michelle Ncube sealed it with her 6-4,3-6,6-2 No. 1 victory over Miali Rakotondrazafy. The 2019 Rookie Of The Year has now won nine straight singles matches.

"Michelle had to deal with the wind affecting her game," Villucci said. "Once she figured out how to adjust, she was able to come up with the winning points."

The Phatsimo Ruele/Chalina Godbolt doubles tandem helped BCU clinch the doubles point.

NOTES: BCU and South Carolina State will be meeting in the championship match for the fifth time; SCSU has won three of the previous four meetings … Assistant Coach Alejandra Vidal was a member of the 2015 championship team; she was named tournament MVP … Villucci is now 2-2 vs FAMU and 2-2 in the MEAC tournament as women's coach … In addition to her five-match doubles winning streak with Smith, Butt now has four straight singles wins.