No. 12 MGCCC Women start 1-0 vs. No. 17 ICC

PERKINSTON — No. 12 Mississippi Gulf Coast got the 2024 women's tennis season off to a fast start, sweeping No. 17 Itawamba in doubles on the way to a 7-2 victory at MGCCC Tennis Complex.

"Doubles was great," Bulldogs coach Sam Blackburn said. "They didn't blink in doubles at all. They started hot and kept going. That gave us a lot of momentum, which carried to singles. We lost a couple singles matches, but our depth prevailed. They looked good."

It was the season-opening match for both teams, and it counted toward the MACCC standings, as well.

Danique Vermue (Fr., 's-Heerenhoek, Netherlands/Scheldemond College) had already caught the attention of Blackburn and kept her momentum going.

"She's been on a roll lately," he said. "A lot of times when you're playing good tennis, it can be easy to have a dip. She would not mind me saying her fall was not her best. She's just come out hot this spring so far. I'm pleased to see her continue that."

She teamed with Angela Moreno (So., Sevilla, Spain/IES V Centenario) to win at No. 1 doubles, then won at No. 3 singles. Burn won her No. 2 doubles match and No. 4 singles match, with Lauren Sullivan (Fr., Laurel/Laurel Christian) also netting two points.

Gulf Coast will travel to play No. 23 East Central on Friday. First serves against the Warriors will be at 2 p.m.

Results

Team: Gulf Coast Women 7, Itawamba 2

Doubles

No. 1: Angela Moreno-Danique Vermue (GC) def. Lucia Rubio-Rayssa Domingues, 8-2

No. 2: Valeria Callejo-Kendall Burn (GC) def. Jimena Paloma-Kaitlyn Greenwood, 8-1

No. 3: Mikenzy Dubrow-Lauren Sullivan (GC) def. Ainsley Robinson-Caitlyn Ard, 8-0

Singles

No. 1: Paloma (ICC) def. Moreno, 6-1, 6-2

No. 2: Domingues (ICC) def. Callejo, 6-4, 6-1

No. 3: Vermue (GC) def. Rubio, 6-2, 6-2

No. 4: Burn (GC) def. Greenwood, 6-4, 6-4

No. 5: Sullivan (GC) def. Ard, 6-1, 6-0

No. 6: Niyah Strickland (GC) def. Robinson, 6-1, 6-1

For more information on MGCCC's 11 intercollegiate athletic teams, follow @MGCCCBulldogs on Twitter and MGCCCBulldogs on Facebook, and go to mgcccbulldogs.com.