Montgomery, Ala. — In the opening round of the Gulf South Conference tournament, Mississippi College edged past West Florida in women's tennis with the men winning over Lee.

The tightly contested match for the Lady Choctaws saw Mississippi College claim a victory by a narrow margin, with a final score of 4-3 while the men won 4-2 over the Flames.

On the men's side, #26 defeated #24 Lee in the quarterfinals with a final score of 4-2. In singles competition, standout performances from Rafael Sabio, Alvaro Saint Martin, and Joe Jarvis contributed to Mississippi College's victory.

The doubles matches also favored Mississippi College, with strong showings from the pairs of Alex Blanchard/Rafael Sabio and Diego De Cooman/Antoine Nivault. MC improved to 12-9 overall on the season and will take on West Florida beginning on Sunday beginning at 10 a.m. in Montgomery, Ala. at. Lagoon Park.

On the women's side, in singles competition, Mississippi College secured key wins in singles matches, with players Emma Roberts, Fernanda Cota, Ana Rodriguez, and Anna Hudson securing wins to give MC a 4-3 win.

With the victory, Mississippi College advances in the tournament with a record of 14-8 overall and 7-3 in the Gulf South Conference. They will take on West Alabama on Sunday beginning at 2:30 p.m. in Montgomery, Ala. 

MEN'S BOX
#26 Mississippi College 4, #24 Lee University 2
Singles competition
1. #42 Francisco Faria (LEE) def. #3 Alex Blanchard (MC) 7-5, 6-3
2. Rafael Sabio (MC) def. #66 Wihan van der Merwe (LEE) 6-4, 6-2
3. Alvaro Saint Martin (MC) def. Jordi Dasi (LEE) 6-4, 4-6, 6-4
4. Joe Jarvis (MC) def. Quinn Groenendijk (LEE) 5-7, 6-2, 6-2
5. Filipe Krohn (LEE) def. Sergio Ocana (MC) 6-2, 6-2
6. Yike Liu (LEE) vs. Antoine Nivault (MC) 3-6, 6-2, 3-3, unfinished
Doubles competition
1. Alex Blanchard/Rafael Sabio (MC) def. #44 Francisco Faria/Filipe Krohn (LEE) 6-3
2. Diego De Cooman/Antoine Nivault (MC) def. Mike Groenendijk/Quinn Groenendijk (LEE) 6-4
3. Jordi Dasi/Wihan van der Merwe (LEE) def. Joe Jarvis/Alvaro Saint Martin (MC) 6-3
Match Notes:
Mississippi College 12-9; National ranking #26
Lee University 11-4; National ranking #24
Order of finish: Doubles (1,3,2); Singles (5,2,1,4,3)
GSC Men's Tennis Championship

WOMEN'S BOX
#28 Mississippi College 4, #22 West Florida 3
Singles competition
1. Carlota Verdu (UWF) def. Elyangelica Alas (MC) 6-0, 6-3
2. #74 Emma Roberts (MC) def. Aline Midori Da Silv (UWF) 6-2, 6-2
3. Fernanda Cota (MC) def. Guadalupe Martinez (UWF) 2-6, 6-2, 6-4
4. Nathalia Mossambani (UWF) def. Gabrielle Geolier (MC) 6-4, 6-4
5. Ana Rodriguez (MC) def. Giuliana Sacco (UWF) 6-3, 6-1
6. Anna Hudson (MC) def. Luiza Daud (UWF) 1-6, 7-6 (7-4), 6-3
Doubles competition
1. Aline Midori Da Silv/Carlota Verdu (UWF) def. #16 Elyangelica Alas/Fernanda Cota (MC) 6-3
2. Luiza Daud/Nathalia Mossambani (UWF) vs. Ana Rodriguez/Gabrielle Geolier (MC) 5-5, unfinished
3. Guadalupe Martinez/Giuliana Sacco (UWF) def. Emma Roberts/Maria Rodriguez (MC) 7-5
Match Notes:
Mississippi College 14-8, 7-3 GSC; National ranking #28
West Florida 12-11, 7-3 GSC; National ranking #22; Regional ranking #10
Order of finish: Doubles (1,3); Singles (1,2,5,4,3,6)