Lady Hawks Close Season as One of Florida’s Elite After Strong State Tournament Run
The Lady Hawks rolled into another post-season tournament ready to leave it all on the court. At the FCSAA State/Regional Tournament, HC defeated two teams that spent much of the year in the top 20 but later came up short against the national #1 team.
HC started the event with a sweep of Eastern Florida State College, knocking them out for the second straight year. "I wasn't surprised we came out strong," said Coach Larkin. "We have been playing consistently the last few weeks. No one wanted to see us in the first round."
The Lady Hawks then had to face #1 Miami Dade College for a chance to attend the NJCAA National Championships. The team fought valiantly, narrowly losing the first set 28-30. The Lady Hawks couldn't keep up the pace, however, eventually losing 0-3.
Miami Dade College would go on to win the State Championship and then two weeks later win the NJCAA National Championship.
In the 3rd place match, the Lady Hawks faced the Daytona State Falcons and swept them for the final win of the season. "Our improvement and quality wins in the final month of the season say a lot about this team," continued Larkin. "We got knocked out by the eventual national champion. Put us in any other region and we advance to the national tournament and makes waves there."
Pamela DeJesus Tejedor and Eva Rovello were named FCSAA All-State and 1st Team All-conference. Emilia Arvidson was named 2nd Team All-conference.
After the tournament, Pamela and Emilia were all also named to the All-Tournament Team for their stellar play.