MGCCC tennis looks to re-gain championship form in 2010

Freshman Kriss Baglaris works out at a recent practice.

Sophomore Megan Terrell is one of only two returning sophomores on the women’s squad.

At one point last season, Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College tennis coach Gary Bourgeois was literally pulling in people off the street to play on his team. Gulf Coast featured 11 new players in 2009, and most of those had limited playing experience. Despite the lack of competitive court time, the men’s team finished sixth at the MACJC State Tournament while the women took fourth and narrowly missed a shot at the Region 23 Tournament.

This season, things should be much different. Bourgeois will have some familiar faces and lots of new talent to unleash on the competition.

“It’s nice to know that if we have any injuries or if a player gets sick, we’ll have good players backing them up,” Bourgeois said.

Shawn Lansdale and Lin Jacobsen are the two retuning sophomores for the men’s squad, while Travis Ladner (Gulfport), Tyler Eggers (Wiggins), Taylor Thrash (Wiggins), Alex Drake (Ocean Springs), Luke Brady (Vancleave), Chance Kelley (Northeast Jones), and Kriss Baglaris (Latvia) make up this year’s group of incoming freshmen.

“All of our players have good high school backgrounds and some junior tennis experience,” Bourgeois added.

The women’s squad features returning sophomores Megan Terrell and Victoria Hagel, who notched a 12-1 singles record in 2009. They’ll be joined by incoming freshmen Katherine Blair (St. Martin), Brittany Freeman (Vancleave), Morgan Rabby (Wiggins), Katy King (St. Martin), and Ruta Grinvalde (Latvia).

“The younger players will have to mature quickly because we’re playing some of the top programs early in the season,” Bourgeois said. “This could be one of the better teams we’ve had here.”