May 4, 2005
ORLANDO - The UCF men's tennis team will face fourth-seeded Florida in the opening round of the 2005 NCAA Championship. The teams will meet in Gainesville at Linder Stadium at Ring Tennis Complex on Saturday, May 14 at 9 a.m.
The Golden Knights (14-8) are making their third consecutive trip to the postseason. Head coach Bobby Cashman's squad earned the Atlantic Sun Conference's automatic bid after defeating Troy, 4-2, on April 17 at the league championship.
UCF has won 12 of its last 14 matches. All-time, the team is 0-2 in NCAA play.
Florida (20-5) enters the postseason with a No. 3 national ranking. The Gators have appeared in 15 consecutive NCAA Championships. On April 20, they claimed the Southeastern Conference Championship title with a 4-2 victory against Tennessee.
The Gators were selected as one of 16 hosts of the first and second round matches.
Earlier this season, Florida topped the Golden Knights, 7-0, in Gainesville on Jan. 23. That match marked the season opener for both teams.
The two squads will be meeting in the NCAA Championship for the third straight year. In both 2003 and 2004, the Gators earned 4-0 victories at home.
The winner of the UCF-Florida tilt will face the winner of the Georgia Tech-Vanderbilt match in the second round of the championship on May 15.