The East Central Community College men's and women's tennis teams played their final regular season matches before next week's State/Region 23 Tournament, falling to the nationally ranked teams from Meridian Community College in matches played in Meridian.
The ECCC women lost 7-2 to No. 23 ranked Meridian, while the East Central men fell 9-0 to No. 10 Meridian.
East Central returns to Meridian April 19-21 for the 2018 Mississippi Association of Community and Junior Colleges State/National Junior College Athletic Association Region 23 Tournament.
East Central freshman Bethany Wellerman will be the No. 1 seed in her flight at the State/Region 23 Tournament. The product of Newton County Academy beat Meridian's Katherine Mitchell 6-0, 6-1 to cap an undefeated MACJC season. Wellerman is now 11-0 against state teams.
In the women's doubles matches at Meridian, EC's Gabriela Gomez (Bogota, Colombia) and Tatiana Quinonez (Bogota, Colombia) defeated Meridian's Julia McCarty/Amanda Lowery, 8-6; Meridian's Rachel Sollie/Kennedy Rodriguez defeated EC's Alexis Tindall of Newton County Academy and Caylee Grace Yarborough of Loyd Star, 8-2; and Meridian's Mitchell/Kelsea Baksh beat EC's Julia Johnston of Florence and Sara Mazzella of Newton County Academy, 8-4.
In the women's singles, McCarty beat EC's Gomez, 6-1, 6-4; Rodriguez defeated EC's Quinonez, 6-1, 3-1, retired; Sollie beat EC's Tindall, 6-2, 6-1; Lowery defeated EC's Yarborough, 6-1, 6-2; Wellerman defeated Mitchell; and Baksh beat EC's Johnston, 6-2, 6-3.
In the men's doubles action, Meridian's Will Swindoll/Lachlan Ivulich beat EC's Tom Langelaar of Veldhoven, Netherlands/Joseph Jabour of Warren Central, 8-3; Meridian's Marco Puric/Callan Shinall beat EC's Willie Wooten of Warren Central/Landon Gibson of Clarkdale, 8-3; and Meridian's Max Mauney/Ethan Clopton defeated EC's Jake Wofford of East Webster and Emontie Lewis of Terry High School, 8-5.
In the men's singles, Puric beat EC's Langelaar, 6-3, 6-1; Ivulich beat EC's Jabour, 6-0, 6-2; Meridian's Zachery Presnall defeated EC's Wooten, 6-1, 6-1; Shinall beat EC's Lewis, 6-1, 6-2; Mauney defeated EC's Gibson, 6-0, 6-2; and Swindoll beat EC's Isaac Keen of Winston Academy, 6-0, 6-1.