Page 82 - South Mississippi Living - July, 2017

SPORTS & OUTDOOR lady bulldogs
story by Kelsey Sunderman-Foster
photos courtesy of Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College
Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College’s Lady Bulldogs recently headed out west to Tuscon, Arizona, to compete in the 2017 National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Division I Women’s Tennis Championship. The team entered the championship ranked at number 17 in the division.
According to MGCCC coach Gary Bourgeois, the team entered the season with three goals: to have a winning season, win state and regional championships and qualify for nationals. The Lady Bulldogs accomplished these three goals and more, closing out their regular season with 12 straight dual match wins and winning the Mississippi Association of Community & Junior Colleges (MACJC) Region 23 Tournament, which was hosted in Perkinston.
The Lady Bulldog’s participation in the NJCAA national championship marked the end of one of the team’s most successful seasons for Coach Bourgeois, who has led the team for 14 years. The MGCCC women’s team tied for 15th, finishing with 13 points, ahead of Meridian
(19th) and Jones County (20th) among fellow MACJC schools.
“Everybody competed well,” Bourgeois said. “It was a total team effort. There was a
lot of support for every match. It was just a great tournament, a perfect storm for us.”
Players Paulina Estrada, a sophomore from San Luis, Mexico, and Bianca Buie, a freshman from Baia Mare, Romania, claimed the number
one doubles crown in the consolation bracket. The Lady Bulldogs needed a tiebreaker to defeat Collins’ Brittany Bennett and Alexandria Gilbert in the semifinals, ultimately triumphing 9-8. In the finals about an hour later, they won an all-MACJC match by beating Meridian’s Jordyn Hull and Shelby Zachary 8-1.
Their success at nationals was the icing on the cake for a season that included team MACJC and Region 23 championships as well as three state titles in singles and doubles. “It’s the
best team I’ve ever had here, top to bottom,” Bourgeois said. “No doubt.”
82 SOUTH MISSISSIPPI Living • July 2017
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Sarah McMillian, Jasmine Sartin, Jenna Lyons, Katie Burrall, Paulina Estrada, Jill Craft, Kaitlyn Miller and Bianca Buie.
MGCCC
Women’s Tennis
Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College
1.866.745.1122 www.mgccc.edu
Coach Gary Bourgeois
Assistant Coach Sam Blackburn and Coach Gary Bourgeois standing with their award winning team.