MCC tennis has finalist at the SE Regional ITA/Campbell Championships

Meridian Community College’s men’s and women’s teams competed this past weekend (September 23-26) at the fall Southeast Regional ITA/Campbell Championships.

The 2010-2011 Lady Eagles returned five sophomores (Savannah Zachry, Jessica Halterman, Kaley Allen, Indi Mire, and Shelley Munn) from last season’s 12th ranked team. The sophomores are joined by four freshmen: Monica Rekkedal of Norway, Cecilly Monsour of Brandon, MS; and two local talents Leslie Martin from West Lauderdale and Elizabeth Case from Meridian High.

The ITA Tournament was not flighted, so all players were competing for a chance to qualify for the National Small College Championships to be held in Mobile, AL, Oct. 14-17.

Play began at 8:00 a.m. Friday morning and concluded at 9:00 p.m. on Friday. Four of Meridian’s singles’ players faced off against top-seeded Georgia Perimeter in their first round of play.

MCC’s Kaley Allen defeated Gordon College’s Natalia Kruger: 1, 0 in the first round, but then lost to the No. 1 seed Mary Claire Slade of GPC: 2, 0.

Jessica Halterman lost to eventual single’s winner, GPC’s Salma Dahbi, in the round of 32: 6-1, 6-2.

Meridian’s Savannah Zachry defeated Cental Alabama’s Lauren Blair: 1, 1 while teammate Indi Mire lost to GPC’s Maria Casseres: 1, 2.

Meridian’s third seed, Monica Rekkedal defeated Adreina Gomez of GPC: 0,0.

Shelley Munn lost her first round match to Sadia Mayou of GPC: 0,0.

In the “B” draw Monsour, Martin, and Case won their first round of play.

In the “A” draw, Zachry lost in the round of 16 to Bia Miranda of ABAC: 4, 2 and Rekkedal lost to the eventual runner-up Sadia Mayou :1, 1 after defeating MMI’s Stachowiek: 3, 3.

In doubles action Savannah Zachry and Jessica Halterman advanced to the finals on Sunday, played at the indoor courts at Auburn University due to rain, to square off against GPC’s Mary Claire Slade and Sadia Mayou.

“Both girls played a great match,” according to MCC tennis coach Wanda McPhail.

However when the last volley was over, Meridian had lost 8-4.

In the “B” draw, Meridian’s Cecilly Monsour made it to the finals where she lost in three sets to Katherine Smalley of CACC.

Jessica Halterman won the consolation singles in the “A” draw by defeating Desirio of CACC, the No. 9 seed: 8-4.

In men’s action Simon Bardell and Will Huntington won the consolation “A” doubles by defeating teams from Spartanburg Methodist, Marion Military and finally Gadsden State. They lost to GPC’s Lemtouni/Hamadani: 8-6.

The team of Matic Leskovar and Zach Marroy of MCC lost in the semis to Kante/Byron of GPC: 8-4.

In men’s singles action, MCC’s Simon Bardell lost in the quarterfinals to the No. 1 seed from GPC” 2,1. In perhaps one of the biggest upsets of the tournament MCC’s Matic Leskovar who was seeded No. 2 after an outstanding freshman season at Vincennes University lost in the round of sixteen to unseeded Martan Regan of ABAC: 4,2.

In other singles action, Trey Webb lost to MGCCC’s Matt Cannady: 1, 3 in the quarterfinals, Chris Kolb lost two matches as did Zach Marroy.

Marroy lost in the first round to GPC’s Lemtouni in the first round; he lost to Gadsden’s Kelley in the semifinals of the consolation “A” draw.

Will Huntinton of MCC lost his first round of play to Jacob Shoptaugh: 1, 1 and then to ABAC’s Bryant Anglin: 8-5.

The tournament champions who will advance to the National Small College Championships were Salif Kante, singles, from GPC and Salif Kante/Akeem Byrom GPC doubles.

The women’s champion was Salma Dahbi of GPC who defeated teammate Sadia Mayou to qualify.

In doubles Mary Claire Slade and Sadia Mayou beat Meridian’s Zachry/Halterman.