Feb. 15, 2007
Tampa, Fla. (www.ucfathletics.com) - Facing its second school ranked in the top 30 this season, the UCF women's tennis team dropped a 7-0 decision at No. 30 USF Thursday. The Golden Knights fell to 0-3 on the year, while the Bulls stretched their record to 3-1 for 2007.
USF quickly took the first point of the day by sweeping all three doubles matches. UCF tried to storm back in singles, but could not get on the board. Sophomore Elvira Serrot took Courtney Vernon, ranked No. 54 in the country, to a tiebreaker in the first set at No. 1 singles only to see Vernon squeak by with a 7-6(6), 6-2 triumph. Senior Becky Gordon also came close to earning a Black and Gold victory, winning the first set at No. 6 against Ann-Marie Modric but could not hang on in a 3-6, 7-5, 1-0(10-5) loss.
"Elvira Serrot played a very fine first set against a tough No. 1 player," said head coach Patricia Allison. "Kenza Belbacha was great in her second set. She held her own and proved she could play at a high level. Anna Yakimchenkova played a tough No. 3 player and while it appeared to be a bad result, the points were long and she still played good tennis. Kyla McNicol stepped in and played against a girl who was ranked eighth in doubles last year. At No. 5, Megan Hunter beat the same opponent last year, and performed well again today. And Becky Gordon won her first set at No. 6 but lost in the third-set tiebreaker.
"With USF ranked very high right now, I'm proud of this team and how they were able to fight against an extremely good opponent."
UCF continues its three-match road swing with a make-up date at North Florida Tuesday at 2 p.m. The meeting was postponed from Feb. 2 due to weather conditions. 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.