MGCCC tennis teams come close to back-to-back victories

Taylor Thrash returns a shot against Pearl River Mar. 4.

Victoria Hagel was a singles and doubles winner against Pearl River Mar. 4.

BILOXI--Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College’s tennis teams came within a few points of making it two straight wins within 24 hours. On Wednesday Gulf Coast took down Faulkner St. while the women’s squad (4-1) beat archrival Pearl River Thursday at the Biloxi Tennis Center. The men’s team (3-2) dropped its event with Pearl River 5-4 as two singles matches were lost in tie breakers.

Against Faulkner St., the men’s team won 9-1 with Kriss Baglais, Alex Drake, Lin Jacobson, Travis Ladner and Taylor Thrash all earning singles victories. The doubles teams featuring Bagalis/Drake, Jacobson/Ladner and Thrash/Eggers also scored wins.

The women swept Faulkner 9-0 as Ruta Grindvalde, Victoria Hagel, Megan Terrell,Morgan Rabby, Katherine Blair and Andrea Breland, who won her first match as a Lady Bulldog.

Doubles winners included Grindvalde/Rabby, Terrell/Hagel, and Blair and Brittany Freeman.

Against Pearl River, Kriss Baglais defeated Blake Johnson 6-0,6-0 while Travis Ladner took down Darnell Stanford 7-5,7-5. Doubles winners for Gulf Coast included Baglais/Drake defeating Johnson/Steven Barney 8-5 and Taylor Thrash/Tyler Eggers defeating Roy Odem/Dustin Slade 9-5.

The women’s team almost had a clean sweep as they won 8-1. Leading the way is undefeated Ruta Grindvalde who beat Kasey King 6-0,6-2. Other straight set singles winners include Victoria Hagel, Meagan Terrell, Morgan Rabby, and Katherine Blair. Leading the way in doubles were the teams of Grindvalde/Rabby, Hagel/Terrell and Brittany Freeman/Blair.

This weekend Gulf Coast travels to compete in the Central Alabama Tournament in Alexander City, AL.