CLINTON, Miss. --- The Mississippi College men's tennis team will begin play in the 2017 GSC Tennis Championship as the number four seed, matched up against fifth-seeded #41 ranked West Alabama in their first round match on Thursday, April 20 in Montgomery, Ala.
 
The Choctaws head into the tournament with a regular-season record of 10-9 overall, and 5-4 in GSC play.
 
In single's play, the Choctaws are led by juniors Marcos Rocca, Joan Valy and Lucio Menezes; who all have posted double digit victories in single's action during the season. Rocca paces the Choctaws with a record of 12-5 overall, with nine of those wins coming out of the number three spot.
 
Valy, who has seen action exclusively out of the number one spot for the Choctaws, posts a record of 10-5 on the season.  Menezes, who has posted a record or 10-8 on the year, has earned nine of his victories out of the number two spot.
 
Junior Petar Damjanovic has seen action out of the number five spot for MC in 13 of their 19 matches, while posting a record of 5-8. Sophomore Max Nilges  has played out of the number six spot in 11 matches for the Choctaws, while posting a record of 4-7.
 
In doubles, Rocca and Valy have been dominant for the Choctaws during the year, going 14-2 as a duo out of the number one spot. Rocca has compiled a team-best 15-4 record out of the double's number one spot.
 
Damjanovic and Menezes have seen the majority of action out of the double's number two spot, with a record of 6-5 in 11 matches.
 
In their last meeting with West Alabama, The Choctaws defeated the Tigers 5-4 in a down-to-the-wire match in Livingston, Ala.  Dating back to 2015, the Choctaws have taken two of the last three meetings from the Tigers.
 
Thursday's opening round match is scheduled for a 1:30 p.m. start time. The winner of Thursday's MC vs. West Alabama match will go on to face the winner of one-seeded West Florida against and eight-seeded Alabama Huntsville in round two  on Friday, April 21 at 1:30 p.m.
 
For more information and coverage of the 2017 GSC Tennis Championship, visit http://gscsports.org/index.aspx.