MCC Tennis Exntends Winning Streak

From School Reports

The Meridian Community College tennis teams were back in action this weekend for a doubleheader. On Friday morning, MCC men played Gadsden State from Gadsden, Alabama at Snead State CC. With windy conditions, low temperatures, and the long drive, MCC got off to a slow stary. Down on all three doubles courts at one point, the MCC duo of Jason Pimenta/Breno Goncalves defeated Matt Wade/Paul Taylor 8-3. 

Gadsden State led the match after the men’s doubles 2-1 as MCC’s Harrington/Butler lost 8-3 and the three team of Champion/Hollis lost to Cavender/Millsap 8-6. The men’s singles was cinched early with wins by MCC’s Pimenta who defeated Matt Wade 6-0, 6-1; Breno Gocalves defeated Kevin Triplett 2, 2, while MCC’s Noah James finished quickly with a 3, 2 score against Jacob McAllister. Will Irvin at five clinched the match with a 2, 3 win over Kyle Cavender. Sam Butler lost the two court against Paul Taylor 6-3, 6-3. Walt Harrington won at six singles against Chris Millsap 7-5, 2-6, 10-3 to give MCC a 6-3 decision.

In women’s action on Friday, MCC played Snead State at Boaz, Alabama. In what was probably the most exciting match of the day, Paige Gibson/Shelby Zachry (MCC) were down 3-6 at one doubles. They staged the come-from-behind win with a 9-8 set score by winning the tiebreak 8-6. Snead took the number two doubles with Hannah Mathis/Morgan Thompson defeating MCC’s Jordyn Hull/Alden Hartley 8-4. MCC’s three team pulled out an 8-5 win over Olivia Sharpton/Alexis Daniels 8-5. MCC took four of the six singles courts to force a 6-3 decision. MCC’s loss came at one singles and six singles. 

At one singles, Paige Gibson, who played one of the best matches of her career, lost a close match in a third set tiebreak to Alesha Triplett 6-4, 4-6, 12-10. Taylor Miller lost at six to Morgan Thompson 6-3, 7-5. 

 
Meridian’s Zachry defeated Katy Beth Bole 1, 0 at two; MCC’s Kyra Holway beat Alexis Daniels 2, 3 at three singles..In an awesome match at four singles, Hayden Hill defeated Olivia Sharpton 1, 2; Jordyn Hull finished out the singles with a 3, 2 win against Hannah Mathis.

On Saturday, MCC played a dual match at Northeast Park against rival, Mississippi Gulf Coast CC. The men won 6-3. Jason Pimenta/Breno Goncalves blew an early 5-2 lead to tie the one doubles at 6-6 before pulling the win out 8-6. Meridian’s Walt Harrington/Sam Butler stepped up big to come from down 6-3 and pull out the 9-7 win. MCC’s three team of Will Irvin/Noah James lost 8-5. MCC’s men took a 2-1 lead into the singles matches. Jason Pimenta finished up at one singles with a 1, 0 win against Skyler Flowers to increase MCC’s lead to 3-1. 

Will Irvin cruised to a 1, 0 win at five singles against Brett Bowen to make the score 4-1. With Breno Goncalves down a set at two, Sam Butler stepped up and clinched the match win a 3, 4 score. Noah James lost at three to Noah Tippen 3, 2. 

After dropping the first set but winning the second, Breno Goncalves claimed the win at two when MGCCC’s Sam Blackburn was retired by his coach with Goncalves leading 7-1 in the tiebreak set. With the score 6-2, MCC’s six player Walt Harrington lost 3, 0. Meridian’s men are 8-0 on the season.

The women improved to 8-0 as well with a 7-2 win over MGCCC. 

Meridian lost the one doubles court and the one singles court. Gibson/Zachry came out a little flat after the thrilling victory on Friday and just never could get in sync. They lost 8-2. MCC’s Gibson lost at one 1, 0. MCC won the other two doubles courts with victories by Hull/Hartley (8-1) and Daugherty/Miller (8-2). 

In singles, Zachry won 1, 0 against Kendra Soley at two; at three Kyra Holway defeated Jasmin Sartin 0,1. At four singles, Hayden Hill won 0,0 while teammate Jordyn Hull took the five singles 1,1. Taylor Miller rounded out play for the day with a 4, 4 win at six singles to give MCC the 7-2 win.

Both teams will be back in action at Northeast Park on Tuesday against Jones County Junior College in a 2:00 p.m. match at Northeast Park. MCC returns to Northeast on Wednesday for a matchup with Hinds CC. Both teams will finish out the week before spring break with matches at Northwest CC and Northeast CC on Friday, March 4.