Titan women's tennis team preparing for tough spring season

After a successful fall season, expectations are high for the Eastern Florida State College women's tennis team.

The Titans start the season as the No. 7 team in the ITA Junior Community College women's tennis rankings. They face a challenging schedule, facing nine matches against the top six teams in the country and will face NCAA or NAIA opponents seven times this spring. Led by national championship finalist Luisa Varon, the women's team is filled with talent ready to continue improving after a season that saw them triple their win total last season.

"With all the success we had this Fall, there's obviously a lot of excitement surrounding our team. I set an incredibly challenging schedule that matches our ambitions, and hope to continue Eastern Florida's emergence as a national power," Eastern Florida State College women's tennis coach Jerry Thor said.

Varon and Lea Stormer are both preseason All-Americans with Varon ranked No. 2 in the nation in singles and Stormer is No. 6, the second highest ranked freshman in the country. Teammates Giulianna Hull, Filda Badi and Josephine Karcher are all ranked in the top 50 in the nation in singles.

The women's team opens the season Jan. 27 at Ave Maria University for a 1:30 p.m. match. The home opener for the women's team will be Feb. 5 against the Florida State College of Jacksonville.