No. 13 Bulldogs endure long day for 5-0 win
HATTIESBURG — No. 13 Mississippi Gulf Coast had a weird opening match in the NJCAA Region 23 Men's Tennis Championship, but the Bulldogs persevered to beat No. 23 East Central 5-0.
Their quarterfinal match started nearly three hours later, had a more than two-hour rain delay and moved from Ellisville to Tatum Park in Hattiesburg. The match didn't end until nearly 11 p.m.
"We played pretty good considering the crazy day and the conditions, having to wait all day to play and then having to move to another location," Gulf Coast coach Sam Blackburn said. "We played pretty well. The guys got it done. East Central is a gritty team and feisty, and they gave us all we wanted. I'm proud of our guys for getting it done."
Gulf Coast swept through doubles, with Gonzalo Cotter (Fr., Valencia, Spain/IVLA) and Vicente Faria (Fr., Lisbon, Portugal/Escola Secundária de Fonseca Benevides) winning at No. 1 without dropping a game. Duarte Mestre (Fr., Lisbon, Portugal/Escola Secundária Sebastiao e Silva) and Triston Hill (So., Perkinston/Stone) won 8-3 at No. 2.
On the third court, Hiram Havard (So., Vancleave/Vancleave) and Jeremiah Layton (Fr., Brookhaven/Brookhaven) avenged a regular-season loss by winning 8-6.
The No. 2 partnership turned around and closed out their opponents first to pick up the two points needed for the clinch. Hill won 6-2, 6-1 at No. 4 singles, and Mestre won 6-2, 6-2 at No. 3.
"Triston played good doubles," Blackburn said. "He moved well and played aggressively. Their opponent is tricky. The guy (in singles) hits a different ball, and Triston took care of business quickly. That's one of the big points we needed."
Gulf Coast will play No. 17 Itawamba in the semifinal, with the winner advancing to Saturday's championship game as well as clinching a berth in the national tournament. Friday's match starts at 2 p.m. back in Ellisville.
"We played pretty good today, but we're going to have to raise our level tomorrow," Blackburn said. "Itawamba is a good team, and we'll have to give it our best."
Region 23 Tournament Central: https://jcbobcats.com/sports/2023/4/10/2024-njcaa-region-23-mens-tennis-championships.aspx
Results
Team: Gulf Coast 5, East Central 0
Doubles
No. 1: Gonzalo Cotter-Vicente Faria (GC) def. Batuhan Saban-Will Manhein, 8-0
No. 2: Duarte Mestre-Triston Hill (GC) def. Maximo Estrada-Trey Posey, 8-3
No. 3: Hiram Havard-Jeremiah Layton (GC) def. Luke Bruntlett-Tate Baucum, 8-6
Singles
No. 4: Hill (GC) def. Posey, 6-2, 6-1
No. 3: Mestre (GC) def. Baucum, 6-2, 6-2
NJCAA Region 23 Men's Tennis Tournament
Ellisville
Quarterfinals
Thursday, April 18
No. 1 Jones 5, No. 8 Northeast Mississippi 0
No. 5 Copiah-Lincoln 5, No. 4 Meridian 4
No. 3 Itawamba 5, No. 6 Hinds 1
No. 2 Gulf Coast vs. No. 7 East Central, 3:30 p.m.
Semifinals
Friday, April 19
Jones vs. Copiah-Lincoln, 10 a.m.
Gulf Coast vs. Itawamba, 2 p.m.
Championship
Saturday, April 20
Championship, 10 am
Third Place
Saturday, April 20
Third-Place match, 2 p.m.
For more information on MGCCC's 11 intercollegiate athletic teams, follow @MGCCCBulldogs on Twitter and MGCCCBulldogs on Facebook, and go to mgcccbulldogs.com.
