HCC Wins Women's National Tennis Title

For two years, the Hillsborough Community College women's tennis team had to watch another program walk away with the national title.

In 2006 and 2007, the Hawks were the runners-up.

Thursday, however, the Hawks finally could say they were no longer second-best after winning the 2008 NJCAA Division I national title.

HCC led all teams with 45 points, one ahead of second-place Tyler Junior College.

"It was a pretty rough road for us," HCC coach Chad Berryhill said. "As of Tuesday we had eight of nine flights still competing and six lost on Wednesday. We had some things fall our way with a few teams getting some upsets."

Sophomore Eva Sambrano, who will play at Florida Gulf Coast next spring, walked away a two-time national champion after she defeated Tyler's Sureena Weir 6-2, 6-3 to win the No. 4 singles bracket. Sambrano teamed with freshman Katherine Laineto take the No. 3 doubles championship with a 6-4, 6-1 win against Barton County's Nyska Etienne and Shea Schmidt.

Nick Williams

Saint Leo, Tampa Win In Division II Softball

MIAMI SHORES - Saint Leo's Ashley Urbanik and Tampa's Heather VanLandingham threw shutouts as both teams advanced in the NCAA Division II South Regional at Barry University on Thursday.

Third-seeded Saint Leo (37-13) topped West Florida 2-0 to advance to the winners' bracket final today at 4 p.m. against Barry (42-6). Fourth-seeded Tampa (32-12) eliminated Albany State 5-0 and will play in a losers' bracket game today at 11 a.m. against West Florida (40-22).

Urbanik, named to the NFCA All-South Region first team, allowed three hits and struck out 12, and Tatiana Casis scored both runs.

For Tampa, VanLandingham struck out 14 in her four-hitter, and Ashley Carrea had a homer, two doubles and four RBIs.

SOUTH FLORIDA 8, PROVIDENCE 6: Britta Giddens and Courtney Mosch drove in two runs each and Capri Catalano improved to 16-1 as Big East regular-season champ USF (43-17) edged Providence in the Big East Tournament quarterfinals at Louisville, Ky.

USF faces the Notre Dame-Louisville winner today at 5 p.m.

FLORIDA 1, MISSISSIPPI 0: Top-ranked Florida got a sixth-inning homer from Francesca Enea and a combined two-hitter by Stephanie Brombacher and Stacey Nelson to beat Mississippi in the first round of the SEC Tournament in Baton Rouge, La.

Brombacher allowed two hits in six innings to improve to 19-0, and Nelson, one of 10 finalists for USA Softball National Player of the Year, earned her fifth save by pitching a hitless seventh.

The Gators (60-2) advance to today's semifinals against Tennessee (47-13) at 6 p.m.

FLORIDA STATE 5, BOSTON COLLEGE 1: Third-seeded FSU got a grand slam from All-ACC second-team first baseman Brittany Osmon in the bottom of the ninth to beat sixth-seeded Boston College in the ACC Tournament in College Park, Md.

Winner Tiffany McDonald allowed four hits while striking out 13. The Seminoles (37-25) advance to face Virginia Tech (42-15) today at 12:30 p.m.