The MCC Lady Eagles Tennis team finishes 13th in the NJCAA National Tournament
"I'm so proud of our women and how strong they finished the season! "
MERIDIAN - The MCC Lady Eagles tennis team finishes 13th in the NJCAA National Tournament in Mesa, AZ.
After a disappointing loss at the Region 23 tournament in Ellisville, MS, the Lady Eagles thought their season was over. However, a few days later, head coach TJ Carter got a call from the NJCAA inviting the team to the NJCAA National Tournament in Mesa, AZ, and he quickly accepted the at-large bid.
The Lady Eagles got off to a hot start on day one at nationals winning 6 of their 9 main draw matches. Tessa Ward and Carla Montarulli won their first-round doubles match vs. Paradise Valley CC. In singles action, Ralie Boles defeated Meghan VanBuren from Sauk Valley CC, and Brittany Murphree defeated JaNaya Reeves from Paradise Valley CC. Harper Bryan defeated Mady Hines, Carla Montarulli defeated Emily Anne Beasley, and Isabella Warham defeated Alexandra Romero, all from USC Sumter CC. That gave the Lady Eagles 12 points and put them in 2nd place after day 1.
Having fallen into the consolation bracket Brittany Murphree and Ralie Boles collected a point by winning two matches before falling in the semifinal round.
Tessa Ward picked up a half-point in the consolation round, winning a match over Elizabeth Knight from Hinds CC.
Head coach TJ Carter said, "I'm so proud of our women and how strong they finished the season! We faced a lot of adversity throughout the year, but they continued to develop and improve. We won 4 of our last 5 dual matches and then got an at-large bid to the NJCAA National Tournament, and finishing 13th nationally shows just how talented we are."