No. 18 Bulldogs beat No. 22 ECCC

PERKINSTON — No. 18 Mississippi Gulf Coast marched easily past No. 22 East Central on Friday afternoon, winning 8-1 at the MGCCC Tennis Complex.

"It's a supreme effort," Gulf Coast coach Gary Bourgeois said. "They came in with a really good team with some good results, and the effort was there on our part. I always tell them that if the effort is there, the talent is there and the results will be there. "

The Bulldogs improved to 5-3 overall and 4-1 in MACJC play. They return to action Saturday when No. 17 Copiah-Lincoln visits Perkinston. Matches start at 1 p.m.

Bourgeois flipped his usual No. 3 and No. 4 singles players, as well as his No. 5 and No. 6 players. It paid dividends against the Warriors, with the foursome picking up three wins.

"We kind of experimented with the lineup, and I think we found what we need right now," Bourgeois said. "There's still some tweaking at the bottom of the lineup, but I think we're good 1 through 4."

Noah Tippen (So, Trussville, Ala./Hewitt-Trussville), the defending state and region champion at No. 3 singles, moved back into that spot and won in straight sets. Noah Rowell (Fr, Wiggins/Stone) dropped only three games at No. 4, and Reid Cudd (Fr, Wiggins/Stone) cruised at No. 5. He lost only one game.

"We had tremendous fan support, and that plays a big part," Bourgeois said. "The enthusiasm and the energy level was kept up throughout the entire match. It's a four-hour match, and the crowd support meant a lot to the players."

Results

Team: MGCCC 8, East Central 1

Doubles

No. 1: Travis Bell-John Murphy (MGCCC) def. Tom Langelaar-Joseph Jabour 8-4

No. 2: Noah Tippen-Noah Rowell (MGCCC) def. Will Stewart- John Jimenez 8-4

No. 3: Brett Bowen-Reid Cudd (MGCCC) def. Willie Wooten-Brandon Rogers 8-2

Singles

No. 1: Bell (MGCCC) def. Langelaar 6-0, 6-2

No. 2: Murphy (MGCCC) def. Jimenez 6-3, 7-6 (4)

No. 3: Tippen (MGCCC) def. Jabour 6-1, 7-5

No. 4: Rowell (MGCCC) def. Stewart 6-2, 6-1

No. 5: Cudd (MGCCC) def. Rogers 6-0, 6-1

No. 6: Graham Murphree (ECCC) def. Bowen 6-3, 6-3

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