JACKSON, Miss. --- Senior
Jose Rodrigo Gonzalez rallied twice from match point to win the deciding set in the Mississippi College men's tennis teams dramatic 4-3 season-opening victory over Jackson State on Tuesday afternoon.
The Tigers claimed the doubles point, with wins in the #1 and #3 spots to grab the early 1-0 lead.
Lucio Menezes and
Max Nilges won MC's lone match in doubles with a 6-2 win over Vishu Prasad and Joan Sanson.
Needing four points in singles to secure the victory, the Choctaws saw straight-set victories from
Joan Valy at the number one spot (6-0, 6-3), Menezes at the number two spot (6-3, 6-4,) and
Marcos Rocca at the number three spot (6-2, 6-2) to bring the match to a 3-3 tie. Gonzalez, who dropped set number one 2-6, won a dramatic second set 7-6 (6-4) and the final set 6-1 to clinch the win for MC.
The Choctaws will return to action on Thursday, Feb. 15 when they travel to Arkadelphia, Ark. to take place in the Ouachita Baptist Invitational, hosted by Ouachita Baptist University. The tournament will begin on Thursday, Feb. 15 and will conclude on Saturday, Feb. 17.
Mississippi College 4, Jackson State 3
Feb 13, 2018 at Jackson, Miss. (JSU Tennis Facility)
| Singles competition |
| 1. Joan Valy (MC) def. SANSON, Joan (JS) 6-0, 6-3 |
| 2. Lucio Menezes (MC) def. ALAWI, Andre (JS) 6-3, 6-4 |
| 3. Marcos Rocca (MC) def. JACOBS, Fritz (JS) 6-2, 6-2 |
| 4. J. Rodrigo Gonzalez (MC) def. GKONTSARIS, Styliano (JS) 2-6, 7-6 (6-4), 6-1 |
| 5. MENDIETA-RUIZ, Feder (JS) def. Max Nilges (MC) 6-4, 5-7, 6-4 |
| 6. PRASAD, Vishu (JS) def. Trey Randall (MC) 6-2, 7-5 |
| Match Notes |
| Mississippi College 1-0 |
| Jackson State 0-6 |
Mississippi College is a private Christian university located in Clinton, Mississippi with an enrollment of over 5,000 students. MC is recently finished their transition process back to NCAA Division II and the Gulf South Conference and will be competing for conference and national championships in the 2016-17 academic year.
The athletic department sponsors 17 intercollegiate athletic programs: Baseball, Men's and Women's Basketball, Men's and Women's Cross Country, Football, Golf, Men's and Women's Soccer, Softball, Men's and Women's Tennis, Men's and Women's Indoor Track & Field, Men's and Women's Outdoor Track & Field and Volleyball.
For more information on Mississippi College athletics, please contact
David Nichols at 601-925-3234 or nichols@mc.edu.
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