HCC Lady Hawks Tennis Finish Runner-Up In National Championship Tournament

From Hillsborough Community College:

May 10, 2021

TAMPA, Fla. – The Hillsborough Community College (HCC) Lady Hawks Tennis team earned the runner-up title at the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) National Championship tournament on Wednesday, May 5, 2021, in Mesa, Arizona. This year marks HCC’s 10th top-five finish at the national level since 2002.

“There is no doubt that each one of our players left everything they had on the court and that they played for each other,” said head coach Sarah Summerfield, who also serves as the HCC athletic director. “It has been my pleasure to be their coach.”

The Lady Hawks completed an impressive undefeated regular season of 6-0 and became the NJCAA Region 8 State Champions on April 17, 2021, in Sanlando Park, Orlando.

Three individuals on the team claimed singles flight victories:

- Ana Villalvazo: Flight 4 Champion
- Isadora Oliveira: Flight 5 Champion
- Olivia Pezo: Flight 6 Champion

Other individual recognitions include:

- Mbali Langa: Singles Flight 1 Quarterfinalist
- Magda Tuells: Singles Flight 2 Semifinalist
- Viktoryia Zhadzinskaya: Singles Flight 3 Finalist
- Mbali Langa and Vitoryia Zhadzinskaya: Doubles Flight 1 Finalist
- Magda Tuells and Isadora Oliveira: Doubles Flight 2 Finalist
- Ana Villalvazo and Olivia Pezo: Doubles Flight 3 Semifinalist

“More important than all the awards and accolades are the bonds we built together as a team that will live on forever,” Summerfield said.

For a full tournament recap, please visit the NJCAA website.

The Lady Hawks currently practice and compete at the Tejas Pradip Patel HCC Tennis Center, located near the Dale Mabry Campus. For court registration, center hours and more, please visit hccfl.edu/tennis-center.

Hillsborough Community College serves more than 47,000 students annually at its five campuses located throughout Tampa Bay. The College is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. For more information, visit hccfl.edu.

This press release was produced by the Hillsborough Community College. The views expressed are the author's own.