No. 14 Lady Bulldogs have shot at MACJC title
No. 14 Mississippi Gulf Coast has three players in the MACJC/Region 23 Tournament finals round after Thursday's action in Meridian.
The Lady Bulldogs are tied for third in the team standings with a chance to win a state title and clinch a spot in the NJCAA Tournament after Bianca Buie (So, Baia Mare, Romania/Gheorghe Sincai National High School), Margarita Lopareva (Fr, Moscow, Russia/School No. 1101) and Megan Bankston (Fr, Gulfport/Gulfport) won their semifinal matches.
The Lady Bulldogs lost two matches in three sets Friday after dropping two on Thursday.
"I knew it would come down to this, the third sets and the end of the lineup," said Gulf Coast coach Gary Bourgeois.
The top three teams advance to the national tournament. Jones County leads with 12 points, and Meridian is one back. Gulf Coast and Copiah-Lincoln are tied for third with 10 points.
The Lady Bulldogs probably need to win all three matches and definitely need some help to win the title.
Buie, the second seed in No. 1 singles, defeated Jones County's Mireia Jordan 6-1, 6-0, and Lopareva, the top seed at No. 2, beat Copiah-Lincoln's Carmen Manicea 6-3, 7-6. Unseeded Megan Bankston beat third-seeded Amanda Lowery of Meridian 7-6, 6-1.
"It's going to be really close tomorrow," said Bouregois.
MACJC/Region 23 Tournament Semifinals
Meridian
Friday
Doubles
No. 1: (1) Gyselle Daza-Carmen Manicea (CL) def. Bianca Buie-Margarita Lopareva (GC) 6-1, 7-6
No. 3: (2) Kelsea Baksh-Katharine Mitchell (MER) def. Jillianne Craft-Jenna Lyons (GC) 4-6, 6-0, 6-2
Singles
No. 1: (2) Bianca Buie (GC) def. (3) Mireia Jordan (JC) 6-1, 6-0
No. 2: (1) Margarita Lopareva (GC) def. (4) Carmen Manicea (CL) 6-3, 7-6
No. 3: (3) Katy Clark (CL) def. (2) Tierney Holmes (GC) 6-3, 7-5, 6-3
No. 4: Megan Bankston (GC) def. (3) Amanda Lowery (MER) 7-6, 6-1
No. 5: (2) Katherine Mitchell (MER) def. (3) Jenna Lyons (GC) 6-1, 6-5
Saturday matches
Singles
No. 1: (2) Bianca Buie (GC) vs. Gyselle Daza (CL)
No. 2: (1) Margarita Lopareva (GC) vs. Arianda Jordan (JC)
No. 4: Megan Bankston (GC) vs. (1) Madison Curtis (HIN)
Team standings |
|
| Team | Points |
|---|---|
| 1. Jones County | 13 |
| 2. Meridian | 11 |
| T3. Gulf Coast | 10 |
| T3. Copiah-Lincoln | 10 |
| 5. Hinds | 5 |
| 6. East Central | 5 |
| 7. Itawamba | 0 |
| 8. Holmes | 0 |
For more information on MGCCC's 10 intercollegiate athletic teams, follow @MGCCCAthletics on Twitter and BulldogLIVE on Facebook, and go to mgcccbulldogs.com.
