May 13, 2005
GAINESVILLE - Looking to earn the first postseason victory in school history, the UCF men's tennis team heads north to Gainesville to face fourth-seeded Florida in opening round play at the NCAA Championship on Saturday. The Golden Knights (14-8) will meet the host Gators (20-5) at 9 a.m. at Linder Stadium at Ring Tennis Complex.
A win against Florida, currently ranked third nationally, will be no easy task. The Gators have participated in 15 consecutive NCAA Championships.
On April 20, Florida claimed the Southeastern Conference crown with a 4-2 victory against Tennessee. The team is 11-1 at home this season. The lone defeat came at the hands of top-ranked Baylor on March 2.
Four Florida standouts, led by Hamid Mirzadeh at No. 24, are currently nationally ranked in singles competition. Mirzadeh and Greg Ouellette are the eighth ranked doubles tandem in the country.
"They are deep and their singles lineup is very strong," said UCF head coach Bobby Cashman. "It is quite a challenge playing the third-ranked team in the country."
The Golden Knights have had ample time to prepare for the postseason. Cashman's squad last played on April 17, when it topped Troy, 4-2, to win the Atlantic Sun Championship title.
Since that last match, the team has practiced regularly. After the squad learned that it would face Florida last week, Cashman noticed an increase in intensity at the practice sessions.
"They are more focused and they know that tournament time is getting closer. We have practiced very well and are focusing on what we need to do," said Cashman. "I feel better going in knowing that we are prepared."
Making its third straight NCAA appearance, UCF has faced Florida each time in the postseason. Florida has won all three matches at home by a score of 4-0.
The two teams are very familiar with one another. UCF faced the Gators earlier in 2004 and Florida claimed a 7-0 match at home in the season opener for both teams.
Four of the five seniors on the Golden Knights roster - Simon Jaeger, Paul Ramy, Rhett Rosen and Antonio Sierra - will be participating in their third NCAA Championship, providing UCF with big-match experience. Cashman feels that his team will show no fear playing a top-notch opponent in front of what is expected to be a large crowd.
"We have played them before, so there is no mystery there," stated Cashman. "We know their players quite well so that is an advantage for us. This year's team is very competitive. We are going to compete hard and will not be afraid."
Live stats for the first round match will be available on www.gatorzone.com. The winner of the Florida-UCF contest will face the Georgia Tech-Vanderbilt winner on Sunday.