ELLISVILLE – The 14th-ranked Jones College Bobcats clinched a spot in the national tournament here Friday afternoon at the Bobcat Tennis Complex.
Jones defeated No. 21 Itawamba 5-1 in the Region 23 Tennis Championship semifinals.
The Bobcats meet No. 12 Mississippi Gulf Coast at 2 p.m. Saturday for the title. MGCCC beat No. 19 Copiah-Lincoln, 5-3, in the other semifinal match.
Co-Lin faces Itawamba at 2 p.m. in the third place match. The top three teams will go to Plano, Texas, May 10-14 for the NJCAA Division I National Tournament.
The Bobcats, 17-3, won two doubles' points to open play.
Gaspar Meda (Argentina) and
Daniel Panzica (Brookhaven) beat Sergio Garcia and Rhonzo Olaechea, 8-6, in No. 1 doubles.
Nacho Vanecek (Argentina) and
Trey Hilton (Pearl) defeated Jacambrian Madlock and Grayson Godbold in No. 2 doubles, 8-3.
Braxton Wallis (Brookhaven) and
John Jabour (Warren Central) fell 6-8 to Russell Moorman and Torean King in No. 3 doubles.
Vanecek beat Olaechea 6-2, 6-2 in No. 2 singles and Hilton downed Godbold in No. 3 singles, 6-2, 6-0 in No. 3 singles. Panzica clinched the match with a 6-1, 7-6 (5) win over Madlock in No. 4 singles. Meda had won the first set over Garcia in No. 1 singles.
Saturday's championship match will air on JCJC.TV.
