The Jones County Junior College men’s tennis team traveled to Perkinston to begin their season against long-time rival MGCCC on Feb 9. The Bobcats fell short to the Bulldogs 2-7. Sophomore Diego Leal won No. 2 singles, 6-0 and 4-6. In No. 5 singles, Luke Armstrong won 7-6 (5) and 7-6 (7). No. 1 singles lost 6-0 and 6-0 while No. 3 lost 7-6 (6) and 7-5. The Bulldogs defeated No. 4 singles 6-1 and 6-4 and No. 6 singles 6-4 and 6-0. In the doubles matches, the Bulldogs beat the Bobcats in No. 1 doubles, 8-6; No. 2 doubles 8-3 and No. 3 doubles 8-3.
Despite falling short in their first match, the Bobcats hope to improve as the season progresses. Their goal for the season is to finish in the top three teams in the state in order to qualify for Nationals. The next home match is scheduled for March 7 at 2 p.m. against Copiah-Lincoln. The following four matches will be away. The Bobcats will return to play in Ellisville on March 30 against Holmes at 2 p.m.
by Makayla Puckett
