No. 13 Bulldogs ready for nationals

No. 13 Mississippi Gulf Coast has arrived in Mesa, Ariz., for the NJCAA Division I Women's Tennis Championship, which starts Saturday.

There was one thing very obvious when they got there.

"As soon as we stepped off the bus, it was 7 o'clock and it was 91 degrees," Gulf Coast coach Sam Blackburn said. "It was crazy."

Play will start Saturday in six singles brackets and three doubles brackets. First-round winners will continue in the main draw, while the other half of the field will drop into the back draw. Players will continue to accumulate points toward the team total by winning matches, with the main draw matches worth twice as much.

MACCC schools have out-of-state player limitations that make it difficult to crack the top 10 in the final results, but the Bulldogs are on a mission.

"Plain and simple, we want to make some noise whether that's in the main draw or the back draw," Blackburn said. "We'd love to be in the main draw and win some rounds. We want to make noise and let people know who Gulf Coast is. We want to enjoy the whole experience and make a run and place pretty high in the final rankings."

It will be particularly interesting to see how Krissy Georgieva performs in Arizona. During her two seasons at Gulf Coast, she's shown the ability to play even better against tougher competition.

She helped the Bulldogs win their only court in a doubles match against William Carey as a freshman and nearly won in singles.

"Krissy plays better against better players, and she's going to see some great players this week," Blackburn said. "I'm really excited to see her battle it out. She always raises her level up to whoever the competition is, so no matter who's she's playing this week, I think she'll be dangerous."

If she can win her first match and build confidence, Georgieva could make a run.

Having lost two No. 2 players since the start of the school year, the rest of the Bulldog lineup is playing higher on the match ladder than where they started.

There will still be opportunities to pile up points.

"I'm expecting everybody else to give it their all," Blackburn said. "A lot of the national tournament is based on the luck of the draw. Whether we have a good draw or a tougher one, they're going to go out and fight and give it 100 percent. We want to enjoy the experience, and I'm expecting to make some deep runs in the back draw, if nothing else."

He has stressed the need to keep hydrating. The dry desert air doesn't make you feel like you're sweating, but you are. He wants the Bulldogs to stay ahead of the hydration game. 

The flip side is getting out of the muggy South Mississippi conditions, which can make you feel like you're playing underwater.

"They all seem to be really relaxed and having fun," Blackburn said, "and I think that translates to the tennis court."

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