NEMCC TO SPEND FIRST MONTH ON ROAD UNDER NEW CONFERENCE SCHEDULING FORMAT

Mark Gilliland's second year as head coach of Northeast's tennis teams will feature 12 matches, including 4 at New Albany's BNA Bank Park.
Mark Gilliland's second year as head coach of Northeast's tennis teams will feature 12 matches, including 4 at New Albany's BNA Bank Park.
Posted: Jan 27, 2023

BOONEVILLE, Miss. - The Northeast Mississippi Community College men's and women's tennis programs will hope the road is kind to them during the early portion of their 2023 schedule.

 

The Lady Tigers and Tigers will journey south for the first six matches of their second season back to intercollegiate competition following a four-year hiatus.

 

"We're going to play some good teams on the road, but it'll be good for them," said Northeast head coach Mark Gilliland. "The schedule's going to be tough, but we're going to have fun, play hard and see where it takes us this year."

 

The Mississippi Association of Community Colleges Conference (MACCC) has altered the scheduling format to match a majority of the sports it sponsors. All teams will play one match against each other instead of a traditional home-and-home series.

 

That change cut the number of league games for Northeast down to 10. The first of those for the Lady Tigers and Tigers is on Tuesday, February 14 at Hinds Community College.

 

Northeast does travel to East Central Community College and Southwest Mississippi Community College for a couple of pre-conference tune-ups on February 7th and 10th, respectively.

 

BNA Bank Park will once again be the location for a majority of home contests for both teams. The lone exception is on Friday, March 24 when East Central comes to the renovated four-court complex on the Booneville campus.

 

The first matches for the Lady Tigers and Tigers in New Albany are against Jones College on Tuesday, March 10. Southwest makes the return to trip to Northeast three days later for its final matchup before spring break.

 

"I really appreciate their help," Gilliland said. "When you've got 10 courts at your disposal, that really speeds things up. That's a really good thing we can take advantage of."

 

The regular season concludes when Holmes Community College pays a visit on Tuesday, April 4. The only meeting this year between rivals Northeast and Itawamba Community College is on Tuesday, March 28 in Fulton.

 

"I'm super excited," said Gilliland. "We're hoping to get just a little bit better every year. We're trying to build that winning mentality. We're making our way in the right direction."