PERKINSTON — Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College is adding volleyball to its lineup of varsity sports offerings.
The Bulldogs will begin play in fall 2025, and a coaching search is already underway. Applications are being accepted through May 3.
Gulf Coast will play in Dantzler Arena and a renovated Weathers-Wentzell Center. There will be a nine-team MACCC league participating in the 2025 season.
“Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College is excited to offer our students a new opportunity to succeed on and off the court,” said Dr. Mary S. Graham, MGCCC President. “Athletics is a vital part of the student experience in college, and it cultivates both teamwork and discipline. We are thrilled to add women’s volleyball to our athletics department and look forward to supporting this new group of athletes.”
In 2023, there were 343 teams playing in the NJCAA. Gulf Coast will be participating in Division II, along with the other Mississippi schools.
“We are thrilled to begin competing in one of the most popular sports in our area,” Dean of Athletics Steven Campbell said. “We know there is a tremendous amount of talent in our district, and we are excited to provide those students another opportunity to compete at the collegiate level.”
The history of volleyball at Gulf Coast dates back to the earliest days of the institution. Gulf Coast hosted the 1929 state volleyball championship tournament. The sport returned in 1969 under legendary coach Sue Ross, who was instrumental in bringing women’s sports back to what is now the MACCC.
The Bulldogs won the Mississippi Association of Extramural Athletics for College Women (MAEACW) championship that year, beating Hinds in a tournament held at Southern Miss. The MAEACW morphed into the Mississippi Association for Intercollegiate Athletics (MAIAW) for Women by the time Gulf Coast won its next state championship, again winning by forfeit against Hinds in 1975. The sport ended at Gulf Coast in 1976.
For more information on MGCCC’s 12 intercollegiate athletic teams, follow @MGCCCBulldogs on Twitter and MGCCCBulldogs on Facebook, and go to mgcccbulldogs.com.
This post originally posted at https://www.mgcccbulldogs.com/landing/index by MGCCC Athletics
