Lady Wolves miss opportunity to defend title, while men lay solid foundation

WESSON, Miss. - The Copiah-Lincoln Community College Lady Wolves will not be given an opportunity to defend their 2019 MACJC/NJCAA Region XXIII Championships due to the cancelation of the season over concerns of the novel coronavirus. The men's program had taken several steps in improving at the midway point of the season and were competitive in every match going into spring break. The women finished the short season, 6-3, while the men finished 1-8. 

"We were dealing with some injuries and needed spring break to recover; and had we been able to come back, I feel that our women would have finished the season strong and would have been a major contender to repeat as State Champions or at the very least been in the top three," said Co-Lin men and women's head coach Dana Hale. "Going into this season we knew the other men's teams this year were very solid at every position. Our goal was to compete in every match that we played, and despite our record, I believe we did just that. We lost a couple of close matches 5-4 and a couple more at 6-3.

At the midway point of the season, the Lady Wolves had several leaders in the MACJC. Paula Coronado and Susana Patino were undefeated at No. 1 doubles (7-0), while Madison Shows and Mckenzie Shows had lost just one match (8-1) at No. 2 doubles. Both duos would have had a very strong chance in the MACJC state tournament to win the title. Patino was undefeated at No. 2 singles (9-0) and was dominating nearly every opponent that took the court against her.

"There was great team chemistry on and off the court and I feel that each player had improved tremendously on our women's team," said Hale. "Overall, I feel our season was a success, but I am very sad that our season was cut short, especially for our sophomores."

The men had some stand-out players as well, Jordi Morey and Julian Toloza dropped just two matches at No. 1 doubles (6-2). Morey was 5-3 at No. 1 singles, while Toloza was nearly undefeated (7-1) at No. 2 singles. 

"I am very pleased that our entire team worked hard each day and got better as the season went on; a few players that really improved were John Ready, Preston Ivy, and Samuel Boutwell," said Hale. "I am thankful for the time I had with each one of these young men and I wish those that are moving on much success."

Co-Lin has five sophomores that will be graduating in May, Paula Coronado of Bogota, Columbia, Madison Shaws of Mendenhall, Mckenzie Shaws of Mendenhall, Jordi Morey of Barcelona, Spain, and Skylar Rasberry of Wesson. 

"Our sophomores will be greatly missed and so will their leadership, especially that of McKenzie and Madison Shows," said Hale. "McKenzie was my go-to player and I leaned to her often in assisting me with various tasks from team communication to practice and match preparation. I really enjoyed getting to know each one of these players and am very happy that Paula has signed and will be transferring to Cumberland University to continue her career." 

Moving forward the Co-Lin tennis program has much to look forward to including the new tennis facility currently being built near the softball field on the Wesson campus. Construction hopes to be done in the near future, with team tryouts expected in July, pending the development of the coronavirus. 

"I am looking forward to having much of the team back for next season," said Hale. "I feel we will be able to build on the foundation set by this year's men's team and continue to grow or program. Toloza will be a player to watch as he assumes the No. 1 spot, and high hopes for our returning players on the women's team, especially Patino who will take over the No. 1 singles spot."