MC Tennis Teams’ Tickets Punched for Conference tournament

Both Mississippi College tennis teams have secured their spot in the conference tournament.

Blanchard, Rafeal Sabio, and Felipe Iser respectively watching Antoine Nivault during their Embry-Riddle match Saturday, March 9.

Both the men and women’s tennis teams at Mississippi College have played their way to the Gulf South Conference (GSC) Tennis Championships, to be held in Montgomery, Ala. on April 27-29, 2024.

The Mississippi College men secured their spot in the tournament after a 7-0 win over Delta State on Wednesday, April 3. The men are currently 4-2 in the Gulf South Conference, and they are 9-7 overall. They have earned a ranking as high as fourth in the nation as a team. Alex Blanchard has also been ranked as high as fourth individually. The team has had two other players dip into the national rankings: Walker Ellis in doubles and Alvaro Saint Martin in singles. 

Sergio Ramirez won the Gulf South Conference Freshman of the Week award February 14, and Blanchard won the GSC Player of the Week award the following week. Joe Jarvis also won the GSC Player of the Week award on March 6.

Jarvis believes the team's tougher schedule has been very beneficial for them as they near tournament play. “So far this season has been good for us as a team,” Jarvis said. “Whether we have won or lost, we have gained lots of experience that will benefit us in postseason play.”

The women secured their spot in the tournament after their 7-0 win over West Georgia on Sunday, April 7. The team is currently 5-2 in conference, and they have earned a ranking as high as 21st. They are 11-6 on the season. The women’s team has had three women ranked nationally: Ely Alas and Fernanda Cota in doubles, and Emma Roberts in singles. 

Cota believes the team’s outlook for the season has helped drive their success. “We’ve just been focused and have been enjoying the process,” Cota said. “We worked on being selfless in order to be united and successful.”

Both teams have three more conference matches and one non-conference match before the conference tournament. The men’s team is traveling to Shorter, Lee, and North Georgia this coming weekend to further determine their conference seeding. Both teams’ last home matches are against West Alabama teams on Thursday, April 18. The match is Senior Day for almost half the women’s team: Alas, Cota, Gabrielle Geollier, and Maria Rodriguez. The men will be recognizing seniors Joe Jarvis and Matías Ballatore.