Texas beckons No. 14 Gulf Coast

PERKINSTON — No. 14 Mississippi Gulf Coast is putting the finishing touches on preparations for the NJCAA Division I Men’s Tennis Championship.

The Bulldogs leave Saturday for Plano, Texas, where the tournament begins Monday. It concludes Friday. 

“We want to be one of the top teams in the country, and it would be great to finish at the top of our conference teams in Plano,” Blackburn said. “I think that’s doable. A lot of times it’s up to the luck of the draw, but we’re going to do what we can with what we’ve got. We would love to push to the top-10 area but staying in the top-15 would be great.”

Gulf Coast finished dual-match play 12-7 after finishing as MACCC runners-up. The Bulldogs were third in the Region 23 tourney to earn an automatic berth.

The national tournament has a different setup than what teams have played all year. The event has nine brackets: three doubles courts and six singles courts. Teams earn points for winning matches to advance in the draw. Players are guaranteed two matches, with first-match losers heading to the consolation bracket. Each win there counts half.

Gulf Coast finished 15^th at the national tournament last year, with Paul Gayk winning the No. 1 singles consolation bracket. The Bulldogs lost their No. 2 player a week before the tournament.
Triston Hill (So., Perkinston/Stone) grabbed a big win in the main draw last year, teaming with Hiram Havard (So., Vancleave/Vancleave) to win a rain-delayed No. 3 doubles match in the championship draw. 

“It’s energetic,” Hill said. “The other teams bring it, so we’ve got to bring it. It was a blast. Just seeing the competition out there was insane, but we can play with them.”

The national tournament is the payoff for a long year of practice and matches. The Bulldogs are looking forward to putting themselves on that stage and showing what they can do against tough competition. There’s also the possibility of catching four-year coaches’ eyes.

“It’s going to be exciting. It’s the first nationals for me in the U.S. We’re going to play some good players, and hopefully I can get better every match I play in my tennis level in doubles and singles.”

For more information on MGCCC’s 12 intercollegiate athletic teams, follow @MGCCCBulldogs on Twitter and MGCCCBulldogs on Facebook, and go to mgcccbulldogs.com.