No. 15 MGCCC opens R23 Tourney on Friday

PERKINSTON — No. 15 Mississippi Gulf Coast won't have to play its first match in the NJCAA Region 23 Men's Tennis Championship until Friday.

The Bulldogs, which are defending Region 23 champs and finished as MACCC runners-up in the regular season, will play the winner of Thursday's quarterfinal between No. 3 Meridian and No. 6 East Central.

Jones, which won the MACCC title during the regular season, will be playing on its home court. The field also includes No. 4 Copiah-Lincoln and No. 5 Hinds.

Meridian, which is 16^th in the latest ITA rankings, beat 23^rd-ranked East Central 7-2 it two regular-season meetings.

"If we play Meridian, it's no easy task," Gulf Coast coach Sam Blackburn said. "We beat them 5-4 the last time we played them. They're a team that can sneak up and beat you if you're not careful. I think if we play simple tennis and expect to do great things humbly, we'll do well. We'll ride some good momentum from the end of the season and hopefully make it into the finals."

The semifinal winner would most likely face Jones in the championship round on Saturday. Gulf Coast lost 6-3 in the first Jones match of the season at Ellisville and lost 5-4 at Perkinston. The Bulldogs went 1-2 in third-set tiebreakers in singles matches the second time around.

"We are hungry to beat them," Blackburn said. "They beat us in two tight matches. Last time we lost a real close one a couple weeks ago. We won't have the pressure on us to win, but we know we can win."

Jones is ranked 14^th by the ITA, with Hinds 21^st and Co-Lin 22^nd.

The top two teams automatically qualify for the NJCAA Division I Men's Tennis Tournament in Tyler, Texas. A third-place match will determine the final qualifier for Texas.

Tournament website: https://jcbobcats.com/sports/2022/4/18/2022-njcaa-region-23-mens-tennis-championships.aspx

NJCAA Region 23 Men's Tennis Championship

April 21-23, Ellisville

Thursday

Quarterfinals

• No. 4 Copiah-Lincoln vs. No. 5 Hinds, 8 a.m.
• No. 3 Meridian vs. No. 6 East Central, 1 p.m.

Friday

Semifinals

• No. 2 Gulf Coast vs. East Central/Meridian winner, 8 a.m.
• No. 2 Jones vs. Copiah-Lincoln/Hinds winner, 1 p.m.

Saturday

• Championship, 8 a.m.
• Third-place match, 1:30 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.