3 Bulldogs will play in finals at national
No. 13 Mississippi Gulf Coast wrapped up a busy third day at the NJCAA Division I Women's Tennis Championship on Monday by celebrating six wins in Mesa, Arizona.
Three Bulldogs will play in the consolation bracket finals first thing Tuesday morning after each won quarterfinal and semifinal matchups.
Kaylen Bond (So., Stone/Perkinston) and Ashley Chelette (Fr., Vancleave/Vancleave) were dominant in their matches. Bond beat No. 3 singles opponents from Copiah-Lincoln and Sauk Valley, with Chelette beating No. 6 singles foes from Wallace State and East Central.
"Kaylen lost one game all day. She was rock solid," Gulf Coast coach Sam Blackburn said. "Ashley won the same way. They've competed and played the best tennis they've played all year. They saved their best for last."
Tia Topps (So., Grenada/Grenada) beat a quarterfinal foe from Hinds 8-4, then really turned up her play against Paulina Martinez-Fernandez from Harford. She fought and scrapped her way to a 9-7 win.
"Tia impressed the heck out of me," Blackburn said. "She played a good player in the semis, and that was a match on paper Tia wasn't supposed to win. She wanted it bad. You could tell how much it meant to her."
Gulf Coast's three backdraw finals are scheduled for 7:30 a.m. local time, and there will be some familiar faces across the nets at the Mesa Tennis Center.
"We've got two Mississippi matchups tomorrow," Blackburn said. "We should have some good matchups tomorrow."
NJCAA Division I Women's Tennis Championship
Mesa Tennis Center
Mesa, Arizona
May 1-5 (all times CT)
Monday Results
Main Draw
Doubles
No. 2: (2) Magda Tuells-Isadora Oliveira (Hillsborough) def. Kaylen Bond-Anna Stringer (GC), walkover
Backdraw
Doubles
No. 3: Alexander Johnson-Brooke Chism (Jones) vs. Tia Topps-Ashley Chelette (GC), 8-2
Singles
No. 3: Kaylen Bond (GC) def. Madison Shows (Co-Lin), 8-0
No. 3: Kaylen Bond (GC) vs. Sydney Schott (Sauk Valley), 8-1
No. 5: Tia Topps (GC) def. Myesha Nealon (Hinds), 8-4
No. 5: Tia Topps (GC) vs. Paulina Martinez-Fernandez (Harford), 9-7
No. 6: Ashley Chelette (GC) def. Tara Trammel (Wallace State), 8-0
No. 6: Ashley Chelette (GC) vs. Courtney Gill (East Central), 8-1
Tuesday Schedule
Backdraw
Singles
No. 3 consolation final: Kaylen Bond (GC) vs. Sarah Cline (East Central), 9:30 a.m.
No. 5 consolation final: Tia Topps (GC) vs. Alissa Carter (Eastern Arizona), 9:30 a.m.
No. 6 consolation final: Ashley Chelette (GC) vs. Alexandra Johnson (Jones), 9:30 a.m.
For more information on MGCCC's 10 intercollegiate athletic teams, follow @MGCCCBulldogs on Twitter and MGCCCBulldogs on Facebook, and go to mgcccbulldogs.com.
