No. 12 Bulldogs punch ticket to Texas, play for title Sunday
HATTIESBURG — No. 12 Mississippi Gulf Coast punched its ticket to the national tournament Saturday morning, but the Bulldogs women's tennis team still has a bigger goal in front of it.
Gulf Coast beat No. 17 Meridian 5-1 here at Tatum Park to earn a spot in the NJCAA Region 23 Championship match.
"The girls brought it," Bulldogs coach Sam Blackburn said. "Everyone was ready to play and ready to compete. Meridian is not a team you can take lightly. Our depth prevailed. We were strong from top to bottom."
The Bulldogs will face No. 11 Jones on Sunday in Ellisville. First serves are set for 10 a.m.
Gulf Coast won two of three doubles matches against Meridian, then quickly won three singles matches while dropping just two games. Bayley Askin (So., St. Martin/St. Martin) won at No. 3, Kendall Burn (Fr., Wiggins/Stone) blanked her opponent at No. 5 and Niyah Strickland (Fr., Quitman/Pachuta) dominated at No. 6.
The top three teams from Region 23 will advance to the NJCAA Division I Women's Tennis Tournament in Tyler, Texas. It starts on May 6. Meridian and Itawamba will play in the third-place match at 2 p.m. Sunday, with the winner guaranteed a trip to Texas.
"That feels really good," Blackburn said. "That's always great. We know our job here at the region tournament isn't finished yet. We can win this thing tomorrow if we bring our A-game. That's the goal."
Jones beat Gulf Coast 7-2 at Perk in February, but the match was closer than the score indicates. The Bulldogs lost a couple of three-set singles matches and a tight doubles showdown which could have swung the match.
"Everybody has got to bring 100 percent effort, attitude and intensity tomorrow," Blackburn said. "Even if they're not playing their best, if their effort and mindset is in the right spot, that can take them to a win. I think everybody's been doing that, and I think we're in a good spot."
Results
Team: Gulf Coast 5, Meridian 1
Doubles
No. 1: Ana Julissa De Mata-Isabella Quintero (MER) def. Tanyaradzwa Kaome-Angela Kaome, 8-6
No. 2: Hayden Hensarling-Kendall Burn (GC) def. Macey Hill-Ruthie Storment, 8-4
No. 3: Bayley Askin-Abigail Garman (GC) def. Cali Grace Davis-Julia Blackledge, 8-0
Singles
No. 1: De Mata (MER) vs. Kaome, 7-5, 0-0 (inc.)
No. 2: Quintero (MER) vs. Moreno, 6-1, 4-1 (inc.)
No. 3: Askin (GC) def. Hill, 6-0, 6-1
No. 4: Hensarling (GC) vs. Storment, 6-0, 4-1 (inc.)
No. 5: Burn (GC) def. Davis, 6-0, 6-0
No. 6: Niyah Strickland (GC) def. Blackledge, 6-1, 6-0
NJCAA Region 23 Women's Tennis Championship
April 13-15
Ellisville
Friday
Quarterfinals
No. 1 Jones 5, No. 8 Southwest Mississippi 0
No. 3 Meridian 5, No. 6 East Central 1
No. 4 Itawamba 5, No. 5 Copiah-Lincoln 4
No. 2 Gulf Coast 5, No. 7 Northwest Mississippi 0
Saturday
Semifinals
Gulf Coast 5, Meridian 1 (Hattiesburg)
Jones 5, Itawamba 0
Sunday
Championship: Gulf Coast vs. Jones, 10 a.m.
Third-place: Meridian vs. Itawamba, 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.
