Pugliese named All-MACCC

ELLISVILLE — Pia Pugliese has put together a whale of a first season for Mississippi Gulf Coast, and she picked up some hardware to prove it Thursday.

The freshman from San Juan, Argentina, was named to the All-MACCC team after dropping only one doubles match in conference, and two singles matches all year.

"She's a team captain, and she's an amazing leader for the team on the court and off the court," Gulf Coast coach Sam Blackburn said. "She works so hard every single day at practice, and she's competed really well. She's had amazing wins this year and been one of the better players in conference. She had huge wins outside the conference against some of the better teams in the country. Pia's very deserving for many different reasons, and I'm very proud of her."

Pugliese has teamed with Paige Baronich (Fr., St. Martin/St. Martin) to form one of the best No. 2 doubles teams in the conference, losing only one match.

She's 11-2 in singles against all competition, including three wins in Texas against top competition. She beat the No. 32-ranked player in the country from Cowley in straight sets, and pushed ninth-ranked Marie-Alix Urcun from Collin to a third set.

The All-MACCC plaques were handed out at the NJCAA Region 23 Women's Tennis Tournament here. The Bulldogs are the third-seeded team in the draw, and the event ends Saturday. 

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