Tennis: Shorter to try to defend NCCAA national crown

The Latest Local News from the Rome News

The Shorter women’s tennis team will try to defend its title today at the National Christian College Athletic Association National Tournament in Mobile, Alabama.

“We’re looking forward to it,” said head coach Orville Adams as his team opens play as the No. 1-ranked NCCAA team and is ranked No. 23 in the most recent NCAA Division II poll. “The team enjoys playing in the tournament.”

The team dominated the field at the 2014 tourney when the Lady Hawks didn’t lost a single point, winning all five matches.

This year, however, the team will find some familiar competition when it heads into the eight-team event as two of the teams the Lady Hawks face in the four-team pool are foes they met in 2014. Shorter will face Northwestern (Minn.), this morning and Indiana Wesleyan this afternoon.

The Lady Hawks close out pool play Wednesday, battling to become one of the two teams from that group to advance to the semifinals Thursday. The championship will take place Friday.

Yet those challenges are nothing new to the Lady Hawks as the majority of this year’s team were on that national title squad last year.

Players returning from last year include Ornella Frere (9-7), Samya El Hsissen (12-5), Aurore Beltrando (9-6) and Sicquena Sinclair (11-4).

Agnes Brun (11-1) and Daniela Chipe (8-7) will make their NCCAA debut.

Source: Rome News

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