The Hillsborough Community College (HCC) Lady Hawks Tennis Team was ranked number one nationally in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association’s (ITA) Junior College Women’s National and Regional Rankings sponsored by Tennis-Point.

“This is the first time in over 15 years the Lady Hawks started off the season as the number one nationally ranked junior college team,” HCC Athletics Director and Tennis Head Coach, Sarah Lytle, said.

The national rankings consist of the top 25 team rankings, while the regional rankings represent Regions II, III and IV, as well as the Southern California Region. NJCAA rankings are compiled by the ITA National Ranking Committees.

“This team is motivated to maintain their number one ranking throughout the season and are focused on the main goal to win the NJCAA national championship title for the first time since 2008,” Lytle said.

The Lady Hawks started the season 2-0 in regional matches against Eastern Florida State College on February 9 and State College of Florida on February 11, with both matches won 9-0. The team also have wins over NCAA Division 2 programs Florida Southern College and the University of Tampa, both of which are nationally ranked in the top 20 of Division 2. To view the team’s schedule, visit the HCC Athletics website.

To view the full rankings list, visit the ITA website.