UPDATE: No. 13 Gulf Coast primed for R23 Tourney
UPDATE: Release has been updated to include Thursday's results that have the Bulldogs playing Copiah-Lincoln on Friday.
PERKINSTON — No. 13 Mississippi Gulf Coast has been the hunted team for most of the 2021 men's tennis season, so heading into the NJCAA Region 23 Men's Tennis Championship as the top seed doesn't feel like a new experience.
"After we played the first half of the season, we already had that target on our backs after beating Jones like we did," first-year Gulf Coast coach Sam Blackburn said. "We had that target on our backs the rest of the season, and I think they've handled that really well. But we can't think we've already got it in our back pockets already."
Gulf Coast got a bye into the semifinals in Ellisville by virtue of winning the MACCC championship with a perfect 16-0 mark. The Bulldogs will play Friday against fourth-seeded Copiah-Lincoln.
No. 19 Co-Lin gave Gulf Coast its closest match by final score. The Bulldogs won 5-4 on March 26 in Perkinston.
"If we take it lightly, we'll get beaten," Blackburn said. "All these teams are in the tournament for a reason, and it's because they're the best teams in the conference. If we go there complacent, we'll get beat. I think with the confidence they've built up, they'll be able to get that first win and get to the finals, but we have to take it one day at a time."
The strength of the Bulldogs' lineup has been toward the bottom, but Seth Macute (Fr., Brisbane, Australia/St Joseph's Nudgee College) and Pedro Molero (Fr., Maracaibo, Venezuela/U.E. Instituto Americano Joseph John Thomson) have come on strong down the stretch.
Macute and Wesley Fontaine (So., Biloxi/Biloxi) have won their last four doubles matches, and Molero has won his last four singles matches. Molero and Clay Fudge (Fr., Madison/Madison Central) are nearly unbeatable at No. 2 doubles with a 16-1 record.
"I'm super impressed with Seth and Pedro," Blackburn said. "They've really stepped up in doubles and helped their partners, and their partners have helped them. Doubles have been rock solid for us."
Fontaine has been a rock at No. 3 singles. After moving up from No. 4, he's gone 10-3.
"Clay is a win almost every time he plays," Blackburn said. "He's so tough. He had a really bad injury last year tearing his ACL. He's come back and worked his butt off. It's paying off now because he's winning his matches, and he's even getting better."
Fudge's only two losses in singles came against non-conference opposition, and he's a stellar 15-2.
Anderson Dulaney (Fr., Long Beach/Long Beach) and Jackson Ward (Fr., Gulfport/Gulfport) are 10-3 at No. 3 doubles and just as dominant separately. Dulaney is 10-2 and unbeaten in the conference, while Ward is 8-1 without dropping a set in conference. His win against Co-Lin clinched that tight match.
Grant Eubanks (Fr., Lucedale/George County) provides vital depth with a 7-2 record in singles when he's been inserted into the lineup.
They may need all that depth come Saturday when the finals are scheduled for 2 p.m. There will also be a third-place match at the same time to determine the final berth in the NJCAA tournament. If seeding plays out, the finals would be another matchup between the top two teams in the MACCC.
"We can't think because we've beaten a good Jones team twice, it will be a given," Blackburn said. "To beat them a third time will be a challenge. I think we've got to stay really hungry for it and not be lackadaisical."
NJCAA Region 23 Men's Tennis Championship
Ellisville, Miss.
Thursday, April 15
Quarterfinals
No. 4 Copiah-Lincoln 5, No. 5 East Central 1
No. 3 Itawamba 5, No. 6 Meridian 4
Friday, April 16
Semifinals
No. 1 Gulf Coast vs. No. 4 Copiah-Lincoln, 2 p.m.
No. 2 Jones vs. No. 3 Itawamba, 2 p.m.
Saturday, April 17
Finals
Friday winners play at 2 p.m.
Third-place match
Friday losers play at 2 p.m.
For more information on MGCCC's 10 intercollegiate athletic teams, follow @MGCCCBulldogs on Twitter and MGCCCBulldogs on Facebook, and go to mgcccbulldogs.com.
