No. 15 Bulldogs play NJCAAs at new site
PERKINSTON — No. 15 Mississippi Gulf Coast will be headed to a brand-new site for the NJCAA Division I Men's Tennis Championship, which starts Monday in Florence, S.C.
"We know we're there on a mission, but it's also like a fun," Gulf Coast coach Sam Blackburn said. "It's a new, exciting place to play. So it's going to be really, really fun."
It will be the first NJCAA championship hosted in Florence. The tournament is being played at the Dr. Eddie Floyd Tennis Center with 24 lighted courts.
Gulf Coast earned a spot in the field by finishing as the Region 23 runners-up. It will be a different format from the regular season and region tournament, which was all dual matches.
There are nine different brackets, one for each singles and doubles entry. Players win points when they advance, earning more in the main draw. If you lose your first match, you can earn half-points in the consolation draw. The team with the most points wins the championship.
Gulf Coast finished 15th last year in Plano, Texas.
Vicente Faria (So., Lisbon, Portugal/Escola Secundaria de Fonseca Benevides) will be playing in his second national tournament. As an international player, he's excited to see a different part of the country.
"It's really competitive and fun," Faria said. You get to watch a lot of different matches and a lot of different players. You get to meet players from a lot of different schools, so I think it will be fun."
Faris and the other sophomores have been able to help explain what the newcomers will see in South Carolina. Ryland Buford (Fr., Gulfport/Gulfport) plays No. 4 singles and No. 2 doubles for the Bulldogs.
"There's a bunch of good players there, and a bunch of players who have a lot of different tools to use against you," he said. "Our goal is to make it far in the tournament, but it's really just to grind your tail off. Don't five up. Keep your head and keep grinding."
Blackburn has his eyes set higher in the final standings than last year's 15th.
"Usually the goal is to finish as one of the top teams from Mississippi, if not the top team in Mississippi," he said. "I think this team has the opportunity and potential to break into the top 10 if we have good draws. We have to take advantage of any opportunity we get."
2025 NJCAA Division I Men's Tennis Championship
Florence, S.C.
May 12-16
Monday
Main Draw
First Round
Singles
No. 1: Vicente Faria (GC) vs. Eduardo Vargas (Bevill State), 8 a.m.
No. 2: Gonzalo Cotter (GC) vs. Anderson Fernandes (Marion Military), 8 a.m.
No. 3: (6) Moritz Stroebel (GC) vs. Andre Dogbefu (USC Sumter), 9:30 a.m.
No. 4: Ryland Buford (GC) vs. Pablo Galan (Lake County), 9:30 a.m.
No. 5: Jordan Mitchell (GC) vs. Enrique Urquidi (Mesa), 9:30 a.m.
No. 6: Nick Dulaney (GC) vs. Vinny Marine (Lake County), 11 a.m.
Doubles
No. 1: Vicente Faria-Moritz Stroebel (GC) vs. Juwan Bae-Dan Hosono (Cowley), 1:30 p.m.
No. 2: Ryland Buford-Gonzalo Cotter (GC) vs. Yoog Gunani-Ben Lawrie (Prairie State), 1:30 p.m.
No. 3: Connor Harfield-Jordan Mitchell (GC), bye
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