BOONEVILLE, Miss. - The Northeast Mississippi Community College men's and women's tennis programs will compete through a lot of bitter cold weather in 2025 as usual.

Both the Lady Tigers and Tigers will play five out of their 10 total regular season matches this year during February.

"A lot of folks really don't understand how high-level junior college tennis is," said Northeast head coach Mark Gilliland. "There's some tough players, but I'm really excited. We're going to have some fun matches to watch."

Three of those contests in the opening month of the campaign are at home beginning on Tuesday, February 18 against archrival Northwest Mississippi Community College.

Holmes Community College and Jones College also venture north during that stretch. Northeast officially christens the new year by traveling to Meridian Community College on February 14th.

The Lady Tigers and Tigers go on an extended hiatus following their road trip to Hinds Community College on March 4. There are 17 days between matches, which coincides with Northeast's spring break from March 10-14.

Northeast welcomes East Central Community College and Southwest Mississippi Community College during the final full week of March. Both teams end the season by visiting Copiah-Lincoln Community College on April Fool's Day.

BNA Bank Park in New Albany will serve as the home venue for the Lady Tigers and Tigers. It is a United States Tennis Association (USTA) award-winning complex that features 10 lighted courts.

"It feels like we're on the road all the time, but it's fun," Gilliland said. "Even for the long trips, I still look forward to it. It makes me feel like a kid again. I look back on my time here (as an athlete) and think it was awesome and that's what I want for them too."

Eight teams from the Mississippi Association of Community Colleges Conference (MACCC) qualify for the region tournament. The women's competition is from April 10-12 while the men vie for championship gold from April 24-26.