Friday, March 05, 2010

PRCC splits with Perk in MACJC tennis action
Wildcats improve to 4-0 with 5-4 victory over Bulldogs

    GULFPORT — The Pearl River men’s tennis team defeated the Mississippi Gulf Coast Bulldogs 5-4 in their first away match of the season, bringing the Wildcats record to a perfect 4-0.
    In doubles action, every match was close, and the Wildcats were only able to pull one of the three points. At No. 1, Blake Johnson of Lumberton and Steven Bracey of Columbia fell to Kriss Baglais and Alex Drake of Gulf Coast 8-5. At No. 3, Roy Odom of Gautier and Dustin Slade of Waveland also fell 8-5 to Gulf Coast's Taylor Thrash and Tyler Eggers. The Wildcats collected their first point of the match at No. 2 doubles with Jordan Henry of Petal and Darnelle Sanford of Hattiesburg defeating Lin Jacobson and Travis Ladner 8-5. In singles, the Wildcats won four of the six courts to get the win for Pearl River. At No. 2 singles, Bracey defeated Drake 6-2, 6-2; at No. 3, Henry defeated Jacobson 7-6(4), 6-2; at No. 5, Odom defeated Thrash 7-5, 4-6, (10-4); and at No. 6, Slade defeated Eggers 7-5, 6-7(3), (10-8).
    The only courts the Wildcats couldn't quite pull were No. 1 singles, Johnson was defeated by Baglais 6-0, 6-0, and No. 4 singles, Sanford was defeated by Ladner 7-5, 7-5.
    The Lady Wildcats played hard during their first away match of the year against the Lady Bulldogs, but were unable to claim the win.
    In doubles, Gulf Coast claimed all three points. At No. 1, Kasey King of Purvis and Janae Norwood of Hattiesburg battled Gulf Coast's Ruta Grinvalde and Morgan Rabby, but fell just short, losing 8-6. At No. 2, Alyssa Wolfe of Foxworth and Kristen Barber of Sandy Hook were defeated by Victoria Hagel and Meagen Terrell of Gulf Coast 8-2, and at No. 3, Emily Leverett of Raymond and Kenyatta Epps of Yazoo City dropped their first doubles match of the season, falling 8-4 to Brittany Freeman and Katherine Blair of Gulf Coast.
    In singles, Epps claimed the only point of the day for the Lady Wildcats during her first match of the season competing in the No. 6 position. She defeated Gulf Coast's Katy King 6-2, 6-2. In other action, No. 1 singles, King was defeated by Grindvalde 6-0, 6-2; No. 2 singles, Norwood fell to Hagel 6-0, 6-1; No. 3 singles, Wolfe was defeated by Terrell 6-4, 6-2; No. 4 singles, Barber fell to Rabby 7-6(6), 6-2; and at No. 5 singles, Leverett was defeated by Blair 6-2, 6-2. Pearl River travels to Raymond on Monday to play the Hinds. A 1 p.m. start up time is set.