MGCCC will finish 15th at nationals
Mississippi Gulf Coast closed out one of its most successful season of coach Gary Bourgeois' 14 years in charge by picking up a title Wednesday at the NJCAA Division I Women's Tennis Tournament in Tucson, Ariz.
The Lady Bulldogs are tied for 15th, where they should finish up Thursday when the tournament wraps up. They finished with 13 points, ahead of Meridian (19th) and Jones County (20th) among MACJC schools.
"Everybody competed well," Bourgeois said. "It was a total team effort. There was a lot of support for every match. It was just a great tournament, a perfect storm for us."
Paulina Estrada (So, San Luis, Mexico/Colegio Del Bosque) and Bianca Buie (Fr, Baia Mare, Romania/Gheorghe Sincai National High School) claimed the No. 1 doubles crown in the consolation bracket.
They needed a tiebreaker to defeat Collin's Brittany Bennett and Alexandria Gilbert 9-8 (4) in the semifinals. In the finals about an hour later, they won an all-MACJC match by beating Meridian's Jordyn Hull and Shelby Zachry 8-1.
It's the icing on the cake for a season that included team MACJC and Region 23 championships and three state titles in singles and doubles. The Lady Bulldogs finished
Bourgeois thought back to the fall, when things weren't going so well.
"We were discombobulated," he said. "I wasn't sure who could play with who and who would play in what position. We were trying to figure out where everybody belonged. Once we did, though, it clicked."
Gulf Coast won 13 of 14 dual MACJC matches, peaking late and rolling into nationals.
"It's the best team I've ever had here, top to bottom," Bourgeois said. "No doubt."
NJCAA Division I Women's Championship
Tucson, Ariz.
Wednesday results
Consolation draw
No. 1 doubles semifinals: Paulina Estrada-Bianca Buie (MGCCC) def. Brittany Bennett-Alexandria Gilbert (Collin) 9-8 (4)
No. 1 doubles finals: Paulina Estrada-Bianca Buie (MGCCC) def. Jordyn Hull-Shelby Zachry (Meridian) 8-1
For more information on MGCCC's 10 intercollegiate athletic teams, follow @MGCCCAthletics on Twitter and BulldogLIVE on Facebook, and go to mgcccbulldogs.com.
