WESSON – Head coach Brenda Smith begins her second season coaching the Copiah-Lincoln Community College men’s tennis team and the return of four sophomores is a reason for excitement and optimism for the Wolves netters. The 2014 team finished with a 5-7 record and won three of their last five regular season matches to close out the season.

Carraway, Nettles, Perkins, and Del Cid make up sophomore class

Sophomore Coleman Carraway returns after finishing with a 6-6 singles record as a freshman. The graduate of Brandon High School played mostly at No. 5. Carraway was seeded at the MACJC State Tournament before being ousted by the No. 1 seed in the semifinals. Carraway teamed with Brandon Nettles in doubles action in 2014 and the duo posted a record of 7-5.

Nettles, a Wesson Attendance Center alum, posted a 6-6 singles record in the regular season while playing the No. 4 position. Nettles also picked up a singles win in the Round of 16 at the MACJC State Tennis Tournament. Carraway and Nettles split with the eventual state champs from Jones during the regular season. Smith expects big things out of the duo again this season as they again anchor the No. 3 doubles spot.

Sophomore Dwain Perkins returns after playing No. 1 singles in 2014. The Natchez Cathedral graduate signed with Belhaven University out of high school before transferring to Co-Lin. Perkins went 7-4 in singles in 2014 and was ousted of the MACJC State Tournament by the No. 1 seed.

Also returning is sophomore Steve Del Cid of Wesson. One of the most athletic players on the team, Del Cid saw action last season again Northwest and Itawamba in singles play.

Three freshmen making their debut in 2015

Smith really likes the three freshmen she is adding to the team in 2015. Will Pennington, a graduate of North Pike High, is what Smith calls a wall. Able to hit every type of shot, Pennington will more than likely play No. 2 singles. Freshman Braxton Hinton of Brookhaven is no stranger to Co-Lin, as his older brother Brandt, played baseball for the Wolfpack from 2006-2008. Hinton is a competitive player with a big serve that Smith expects to pair with fellow freshman Drake Nelson in No. 2 doubles. Nelson might be the busiest man on campus this spring as he splits time between the tennis and golf teams. Smith thinks that there is no better person suited for that busy schedule than Nelson, a Lawrence County High School product. Smith raves about the personality of Nelson and his contagious positive attitude.

Nobody better in the classroom in 2014

There was no one better in the nation in the classroom in 2014 than the Co-Lin men’s tennis team. They were the NJCAA’s Academic Team of the Year with a 3.63 team GPA. Co-Lin also had a higher GPA than any other men’s athletic team in the Mississippi Association of Community and Junior Colleges (MACJC). The Wolves have previously been named the No. 1 academic team by the NJCAA in 2002, 2005, 2007, and 2012.

There appears to be no let up for the Wolves as they posted a 3.64 GPA in the fall of 2014. Del Cid, Nettles, and Hinton all led the team with 4.0 GPA’s.

 Return to tennis good medicine for Smith 

Smith was very successful in her previous stint coaching Co-Lin women’s tennis and views her job as a stress reliever. Serving the college as the Dean of Student Services, most of her day is spent dealing with issues that affect students. Drive by the Co-Lin tennis courts on a spring afternoon and you’ll see Smith ripping return shots to her players and doing so with a huge grin on her face.