BOONEVILLE, Miss. – Northeast Mississippi Community College women's tennis team has found its rhythm during the middle portion of the season.
After knocking off Hinds 5-4 in its first home match of the year at the New Albany Sportsplex on March 4, Ben Shappley's Lady Tigers turned the trick against North Division foe Holmes on Tuesday, March 19 walking out of Goodman with a 7-2 decision.
Northeast scored two walk-over decisions in the sixth-ranked singles and third-ranked doubles matches then swept through the rest of the events with the exception of the top-seeded matches in both for the 7-2 win.
Belmont's Valerie Mitchell and twins Allison and Emily Wiltshire led the way for the Lady Tigers in the win.
A. Wiltshire scored a 6-0, 6-1 win over Haley Harrison in the third-seeded singles match while Mitchell and E. Wiltshire gave the Lady Tigers another point when they knocked off Akia Cabella and Harrison in the second-ranked doubles match 8-6.
New Albany's Maegan Trexler, Corinth's Elizabeth Mitchell and Houston's Nikki Baird all scored wins on the singles side for the Lady Tigers in the victory.
Trexler won her first set 7-5 against Elizabeth Petro then eased to a 6-2 win in the second set for the victory.
Mitchell, who is 3-2 on the year, breezed by Cabella 6-0, 6-2 in the fourth-seeded singles match.
Baird, who was a cheerleader during football and basketball season, edged Callie Swinney 6-2, 6-3 to help the Lady Tigers capture the singles competition 5-1.
Southaven's Madison Rust teamed with Trexler in the top-ranked doubles match and gave Rebecca Shields and Petro a run before falling 8-4.
On the men's side, the twenty-third ranked Bulldogs walked away with an 8-1 decision with Belmont's Wesley Brandon taking the only match in the third ranked singles against Chase Black.
Brandon knocked off Black 7-5, 6-4 while four other matches put the heat on the ranked Bulldogs.
Olive Branch's Hunter Seeley took Conner Wilson to a super tiebreaker before falling 6-4, 3-6, 3-10 while Corinth's Drew Gann tallied a 4-6, 5-7 showing against Grey Tedford in the sixth-ranked singles match.
On the doubles side, Corinth's Andrew Ferrell and Seeley pushed Rami Jamileh and Connor Wilson to the limit with an 8-6 showing while Corinth's Anderson Mills and Gann dropped their doubles match 8-4 against Mitchell Parman and Tedford.
Northeast's next tennis match scheduled for tomorrow, Friday, March 22 with Copiah-Lincoln Community College has been postponed due to the probability of rain.