No. 13 Bulldogs move into 4 semis
No. 13 Mississippi Gulf Coast has players on four courts moving into the NJCAA Division II Women's Tennis Championship semifinals after another great day in Sumter, S.C.
The Bulldogs are in third after Monday's action concluded. Their 30 points are five behind Jones and three behind Wallace State.
"It was definitely another good day overall," Gulf Coast coach Sam Blackburn said. "To have three of our six girls in the semifinals is a big deal, and then a doubles team in the semifinals is also a big deal. We've still got a lot of tennis to play to rack up some more points. I think we're gonna continue playing better tennis as the tournament goes on."
Pia Pugliese (Fr., San Juan, Argentina/Colegio Central Universitario Mariano Moreno), Victoria Ros Fabuel (Fr., Valencia, Spain/Colegio Sagrado Corazon Hermanos Maristas) and Andee Rogers (So., Wiggins/Stone) will play Tuesday with a spot in the national championship match at stake. Pugliese and Paige Baronich (Fr., St. Martin/St. Martin) moved past an MACCC rival to book their spot in the No. 2 doubles semis.
Unseeded Rogers pulled another big upset. She beat fifth-seeded Samantha Goldberg from Oxford-Emory 7-6, 6-4.
"That's a huge deal," Blackburn said. "To go from knocking off the fourth seed yesterday to not dropping off or falling off in her level today and get a straight-sets win is a huge deal. I'm very impressed with her performance, and she's just growing in confidence as the matches go on. It's amazing to see."
Pugliese will play in two more matches Tuesday thanks to two wins in the quarterfinals. The freshman continues to grow for Gulf Coast, beating Copiah-Lincoln's Domenica Gruezo 6-4, 3-6, 6-1 in No. 3 singles and sweeping through the No. 2 doubles quarterfinal match against Hinds' Macie Curtis and Jaqueline Vargas.
"She's definitely impressed me with the mental side of the game," Blackburn said. "She played a girl today who had beaten her a couple times the season already, and she was able to take her down today. It's not easy to do, and her and Paige just rocked out in doubles."
Ros Fabuel answered the step up in talent, facing her first seeded foe in No. 3 singles. She knocked off seventh-seeded Laura Camara Blanco from Northwest Mississippi in straight sets.
"She's very confident and probably one of the most athletic players in the tournament overall," Blackburn said. "To see her make the semifinals is awesome. I'm not surprised. She's the two-seed in the tournament for a reason, and I expect her to keep things going."
They are the first Bulldogs to advance to the semifinals of the main draw since 2018. Margarita Lopareva made it to the No. 2 singles semis that year, and Megan Bankston and Tierney Holmes advanced that far in the No. 2 doubles bracket.
"We've gotta stay in the moment and not get too worried about how many points we have or where we are on the draw," Blackburn said. "We should just be excited about playing tennis and let the results take care of themselves. If we just keep a level head, I think it will happen."
Keep up with the schedule and matches at https://www.tournamentsoftware.com/sport/draws.aspx?id=d4a476e6-7dcc-444a-8210-584be62743cb.
NJCAA Division II Women's Tennis Championship
May 2-6, 2-26
Palmetto Tennis Center
Sumter, S.C.
Saturday, May 2
All Times Central
Monday, May 4
Results
Singles
Championship Draw Quarterfinals
No. 1: (3) Madison Standifer (Wallace State) def. (6) Isona Arnaus (GC), 5-7, 7-6, 6-2
No. 2: (5) Pia Pugliese (GC) vs. (4) Domenica Gruezo (Copiah-Lincoln), 6-4, 3-6, 6-1
No. 3: (2) Victoria Ros Fabuel (GC) def. (7) Laura Camara Blanco (Northwest Mississippi), 7-6, 6-2
No. 4: (4) Meg Daves (Northwest Mississippi) def. (5) Paige Baronich (GC), 2-6, 7-6, 6-2
No: 5: Andee Rogers (GC) vs. (5) Samantha Goldberg (Oxford-Emory), 7-6, 6-4
No. 6: (1) Neda Kocyte (Coastal Alabama) def. (8) Meredith Matthews (GC), 6-3, 6-2
Doubles
Championship Draw Quarterfinals
No. 2: (4) Pia Pugliese-Paige Baronich (GC) def. (5) Macie Curtis-Jaqueline Vargas (Hinds), 6-4, 6-1
No. 3: (3) Katlin Porcello-Josie Tullos (Jones) def. Meredith Matthews-Andee Rogers (GC), 6-2, 6-1
Tuesday, May 5
Schedule
Singles
Championship Draw Semifinals
No. 2: (5) Pia Pugliese (GC) vs. (1) Shana Mao (East Central), 10 a.m.
No. 3: (2) Victoria Ros Fabuel (GC) vs. (3) Indira Wilson (Wallace State), 10 a.m.
No: 5: Andee Rogers (GC) vs. (1) Elizabeth Standifer (Wallace State), 10 a.m.
Championship Draw Semifinals
No. 2: (4) Pia Pugliese-Paige Baronich (GC) vs. (1) Maria Martinez-Camila Piquin (Jones), 3 p.m.
For more information on MGCCC's 12 intercollegiate athletic teams, follow @MGCCCBulldogs on Twitter and MGCCCBulldogs on Facebook, and go to mgcccbulldogs.com.
