2015 NCCAA WOMEN'S TENNIS CHAMPIONSHIP PAGE/RESULTS

ROME, Ga. – They began the 2014 national tournament telling their coach that they wanted to win it all to get a "big ugly ring."

That they did and on Tuesday, the Shorter women's tennis team will be out to add to their jewelry collection when the Lady Hawks begin their title defense at the 2015 National Christian College Athletic Association National Tournament in Mobile, Ala.

"We're ready to defend it and get another 'big ugly ring,'" head coach Orville Adams said as his team opens play not only as the defending champion but as the No. 1-ranked NCCAA team and ranked No. 23 in the most recent NCAA Division II poll.

"We're looking forward to it," the coach added. "The team enjoys playing in the tournament."

That was obvious when they dominated the field at the 2014 tourney when the Lady Hawks never lost a single point, winning all five matches 5-0 with the icing on the cake coming in the championship showdown against what was considered an unstoppable squad from Azusa Pacific.

This year, however, when Shorter returns to the Copeland-Cox Tennis Center 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 – Northwestern (Minn.), their first opponent that takes place Tuesday morning, and Indiana Wesleyan, Shorter's Tuesday afternoon foe.

On Wednesday, the Lady Hawks close out their pool play, battling to become one of the two teams from that group – Campbellsville, Dallas Baptist (another team Shorter beat last year), Mississippi College and Roberts Wesleyan make up the other pool bracket – to advance to the semifinals Thursday and make another appearance in the championship that takes 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.

Returning to go after another "big ugly ring" include Ornella Frere (9-7), Samya El Hsissen (12-5), Aurore Beltrando (9-6) and Sicquena Sinclair (11-4), while Agnes Brun (11-1) and Daniela Chipe (8-7) will be making their NCCAA debut.

Those six will combine to form the Lady Hawks' doubles pairings as well as playing the singles matches, and giving the team additional depth will be Mary Emily Corbin, Abigail Kiser and Savannah Couey.

There's little doubt that Shorter also has a good deal of momentum heading into the national tourney as the Lady Hawks carry a 16-5 record to Mobile, having reeled off eight straight wins before suffering a setback in the rain-hampered Gulf South Conference Championship match two weeks ago to West Florida, the nation's No. 3-ranked Division II team that is the GSC's lone representative in the upcoming NCAA tournament.

"We had a long down time during it," Adams said about the GSC tournament, "but it was a good break for us. They got to rest, do a little school work and get away from the stress.

"But now they are even more rested," he said, "the final exams are over and we are looking forward to enjoying this tournament again."