Bulldogs move into 4th-place tie

PERKINSTON — Mississippi Gulf Coast got back to .500 in the conference thanks for a four-set win over Northeast Mississippi at Dantzler Arena on Monday.

The 25-19, 25-20, 17-25, 25-20 victory also lifted the Bulldogs into a fourth-place tie in the standings. The top four teams in the MACCC will get to host NJCAA Region 23 quarterfinal matches.

"The first two sets were good," Gulf Coast coach Shayna Walsh said. "They were what we wanted coming off of East Central last week, which was such a good win. That was the best they've played in a long time. But coming off that, I think they were ready right there at first, and then got complacent a little bit. But you know, a W's a W, so I'm happy with it."

Gulf Coast is now 15-12 overall, 7-7 MACCC. Northeast falls to 10-22, 3-11.

The Bulldogs won the first six points of the match, and that was the margin of victory in the first set. They led by as many as nine in the second set and looked poised for a sweep after taking a 6-2 lead in the third.

Northeast scored eight of the next nine points, eventually leading by as much as seven to extend the match.

The Bulldogs took command early in the final set and closed things out.

Mariah Hammond (Fr., Slidell, La./Northshore) had 14 kills to lead Gulf Coast, adding two blocks. Cambell Herrington (Fr., Brandon/Brandon) had 27 digs, and Sydney Tague (Fr., Olive Branch/DeSoto Central) had 23 assists. Malorie Gaughf (Fr., Gulfport/Harrison Central) led her team with three blocks.

It was the Bulldogs' first season sweep of an opponent after having won the September match in Booneville in five sets.

"Pearl River's coming up, and that's going to be a big one for us," Walsh said. "Anything could happen any given time, anybody could win on any given day, so we're ready for that one, and they're pumped for it."

The Bulldogs travel to Poplarville on Wednesday, but that comes after a trip to Bay Minette on Tuesday to play Coastal Alabama-South. That match, which starts at 6 p.m., will be streamed at https://www.jockjive.com/.

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