Jan. 20, 2007
Orlando, Fla. (www.ucfathletics.com) - In day two of the UCF Women's Tennis Invitational Saturday, the Golden Knights learned a lot about some opponents it will take on later this season. They got the chance to meet several UTEP Miners in the round-robin format, and were able to record six singles and two doubles victories at the UCF Tennis Complex.
Saturday's action began with doubles play, where Flights A and D were dominated by UCF. Junior Anna Yakimchenkova (Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.) and sophomore Elvira Serrot (Madrid, Spain) cruised past UTEP's Weronika Bloczynska and Isabela Kulaif, 8-3, in Flight A. Meanwhile, junior Kyla McNicol (Winnipeg, Manitoba) and freshman Zoe Kent (Valrico, Fla.) defeated Megan Pritchard and Nilsa Ramirez of UTEP at Flight D, 8-4.
Five Golden Knights then cruised through their respective singles matches by posting straight-set victories. Sophomore Kenza Belbacha (Casablanca, Morocco) netted a 6-1, 6-3 win over Kulaif at Flight B, and at Flight C, Yakimchenkova delivered a 6-3, 6-1 triumph over UTEP's Marina Deluca. Senior captain Becky Gordon (Tampa, Fla.) secured her first win of the tournament, getting by Pritchard at Flight F, 6-2, 6-2. For the second-straight day fights G and H were taken over by Golden Knights, with Kent defeating Ramirez, 6-3, 6-1, and McNicol dropping UTEP's Amber Brightly, 6-4, 6-1.
Senior Megan Hunter (Poquoson, Va.) needed a little more time, however, to get her singles victory. A day after locking up a three-set win in Flight E, she was forced to go the distance again against UTEP's Harmonie Chatagner. And just like Friday, Hunter lost the first set Saturday but still managed to claw back en route to a 4-6, 6-2, 1-0(10-8) win.
The final day of the invitational gets underway Sunday at 9:30 a.m. with the afternoon session to begin immediately afterwards. Meanwhile, UCF and UTEP will meet in dual-match play April 1 in El Paso, Texas. For the latest news and information on the Golden Knights, tickets or apparel log on to www.ucfathletics.com - the official site for UCF athletics.
UCF Results from Day Two of the UCF Invitational
Doubles
Flight A Serrot/Yakimchenkova (UCF) def. Bloczynska/Kulaif (UTEP) 8-3
Flight B Palider/Samantha Attard (UTEP) def. Belbacha/Hunter (UCF) 9-8(8)
Flight C Deluca/Chatagner (UTEP) def. Gordon/Carati (UCF) 9-7
Flight D Kent/McNicol (UCF) def. Pritchard/Ramirez (UTEP) 8-4
Singles
Flight A Weronika Bloczynska (UTEP) def. Elvira Serrot (UCF) 7-5, 6-1
Flight B Kenza Belbacha (UCF) def. Isabela Kulaif (UTEP) 6-1, 6-3
Flight C Anna Yakimchenkova (UCF) def. Marina Deluca (UTEP) 6-3, 6-1
Flight D Katherine Palider (UTEP) def. Jennifer Carati (UCF) 6-3, 6-0
Flight E Megan Hunter (UCF) def. Harmonie Chatagner (UTEP) 4-6, 6-2, 1-0(10-8)
Flight F Becky Gordon (UCF) def. Megan Pritchard (UTEP) 6-2, 6-2
Flight G Zoe Kent (UCF) def. Nilsa Ramirez (UTEP) 6-3, 6-1
Flight H Kyla McNicol (UCF) def. Amber Brightly (UTEP) 6-4, 6-1
Session Two Results
Doubles
Flight A Veverkova/Kuervers (AUM) def. Nitkova/Kozmina (GSU) 8-6
Flight B Dadakhodjaeva/Zuzulova (AUM) def. Malina/Stahl-Johansson (GSU) 8-2
Flight C Lysac/Pillay (AUM) def. Smith/Strickland (GSU) 8-2
Singles
Flight A Kamila Dadakhodjaeva (AUM) def. Dariana Kozmina (GSU) 1-6, 6-0, 1-0(10-4)
Flight B Tereza Veverkova (AUM) def. Martina Nitkova (GSU) 7-6(4), 6-1
Flight C Rachel Malina (GSU) def. Hannah Huervers (AUM) 6-3, 4-6, 1-0(10-4)
Flight D Dominika Zuzulova (AUM) def. Emma Stahl-Johansson (GSU) 6-2, 6-0
Flight E Nadia Lysak (AUM) def. Mateja Podgorsek (GSU) 0-6, 6-1, 1-0(11-9)
Flight F Yudeshnee Pillay (AUM) def. Brittany Smith (GSU) 6-0, 6-0
Flight G Kiera Strickland (GSU) def. Rachel Dunlavy (AUM) 6-4, 6-1