No. 12 Bulldogs make trek to NJCAAs
PERKINSTON — No. 12 Mississippi Gulf Coast left for Texas on Thursday to take part in the NJCAA Division I Women's Tennis Championship, which starts Saturday. The event takes place over five days in Tyler.
"The goal this year is to make a statement, make some deep runs and take advantage of any good draws we get," Gulf Coast coach Sam Blackburn said. "It's a really tough competition out there, but we also know we have a good team that can hang with anybody. If we come ready to play, then we can really make some noise."
Gulf Coast earned a spot there by finishing as Region 23 runners-up. The national championship is a different format than the Bulldogs play during the regular season.
There are nine different brackets, one for each singles and doubles entry. Players win points when they advance, earning more in the main draw. If you lose your first match, you can earn half-points in the consolation draw. The team with the most points wins the championship.
Last year, the Bulldogs finished 12th.
"It was very fun," said Danique Vermue, a sophomore from 's-Heerenhoek, Netherlands. "The level was very high. It's fun to play with referees, as well. It's great when you see so many players at such a good level."
Last year, Lauren Sullivan (So., Laurel/Laurel Christian) made it to the finals of the No. 3 doubles consolation bracket. She's taking that experience back with her this time around.
"I want to keep calm on the court and confident and realize that I'm good enough to be out there with those players, because it is a higher level," she said. "Sometimes, being an American playing foreigners, you go into it with kind of an intimidated mindset. I wanna go out there with confidence from the start and know that I'm able to hang with those people and I can win."
For more information on MGCCC's 12 intercollegiate athletic teams, follow @MGCCCBulldogs on Twitter and MGCCCBulldogs on Facebook, and go to mgcccbulldogs.com.
