Bulldogs bow out in playoffs

POPLARVILLE — Mississippi Gulf Coast wrapped up its first volleyball season of the modern era Wednesday night in the NJCAA Region 23 quarterfinals, showing the same intestinal fortitude the Bulldogs have shown all season.

Despite losing in three sets to Pearl River, Gulf Coast played its best volleyball in the final one, losing 25-21, 25-18, 25-23.

"They've fought the entire season, and they've come from behind many, many times," coach Shayna Walsh said. "That's admirable for a group that's this young. It's all freshmen, and they've grown so much."

Gulf Coast, the sixth seed in the tourney, finishes the year 16-15. Third-seeded Pearl River is 27-10 and will play Northwest Mississippi in the semifinals Saturday.

The Wildcats scored the first four points of the match, but Gulf Coast got it tied back up at 19 before falling behind 1-0. The Bulldogs trailed 24-11 in the second set before reeling off seven points to build some momentum for the third set.

Gulf Coast led the third set all the way to a 13-8 bulge before the Wildcats scored the next seven points. The Bulldogs rallied, though, and were up 22-19 before being unable to close the set out.

"In every set, except for the third, we just started out so slow and had to play catch-up the whole time," Walsh said. "But once they got rolling, they were rolling. They just needed to start faster and quicker than they did, especially in serve receive and on defense, and get the momentum early."

The Bulldogs wrapped up a busy first season that saw them play 31 matches in just over two months. A program that was a couple of years in the works before the first match in August is now ready for bigger and better things.

"They did a good job starting this program out for us," Walsh said. "They set the framework and created the culture that I want to create. That's all you can ask for."

NJCAA Region 23 Volleyball Tournament

Quarterfinals

Wednesday, Oct. 29

Higher Seed Hosts

No. 1 Jones 3, No. 8 Southwest Mississippi 0

No. 2 Northwest Mississippi 3, No. 7 Northeast Mississippi 0

No. 3 Pearl River 3, No. 6 Gulf Coast 0

No. 4 East Central 3, No. 5 Itawamba 1

Semifinals

Saturday, Nov. 1

Ellisville

East Central vs. Jones, 2 p.m.

Pearl River vs. Northwest Mississippi 2, 5 p.m.

Finals

Sunday, Nov. 2

Ellisville

Championship, 2 p.m.

For more information on MGCCC's 12 intercollegiate athletic teams, follow @MGCCCBulldogs on Twitter and MGCCCBulldogs on Facebook, and go to mgcccbulldogs.com.