Aug. 24, 2007
Orlando, Fla. (www.ucfathletics.com) - UCF men's tennis head coach Bobby Cashman announced the Knights' 2008 spring schedule on Friday. The slate includes matches against six teams who played in the NCAA Championship last season.
UCF will open the year with a challenging test. The Knights start their season on Jan. 18 at the USF Invitational in Tampa. The tournament features Auburn, William & Mary, who both made it to the NCAA Team Championship, and South Florida.
The Knights' next two opponents, Rice and Florida, also made it to the postseason last year. The home match with Conference USA foe Rice, scheduled for Jan. 26, will mark the first time the two teams will square off on the courts.
On Feb. 1, UCF faces Florida in Gainesville. The Gators made it to the 2007 Southeastern Conference Championship, losing to national champion Georgia.
"This is a tremendous schedule for us," said Cashman. "I feel going up against teams like Florida and Georgia State will put our team to the test."
The next four matches on the slate, starting Feb. 3, will come against Florida teams. The squad will split its travel, playing its first two matches at the UCF Tennis Complex against Florida Gulf Coast and Stetson.
The following two matches will be played on the road. The first contest comes against Bethune-Cookman on Feb. 9 and the second against Miami, on Feb. 15. The Hurricanes made it to the NCAA championship a year ago.
Following the C-USA Shootout in mid-February in Hattiesburg, Miss., the Knights return home to face Georgia State on March 5. The Panthers finished last season with a 19-5 mark and were ranked in the top 40.
From March 11-15, UCF will play three tilts in California. The first two matches against Montana State and Cal Poly will be played in San Diego. UCF will then travel north to face UC-Irvine.
The Knights return back to Orlando on March 21 where the team will play in the state for the rest of the season, with only one road trip to South Florida. The final two opponents on the schedule are Florida Atlantic (April 3) and Jacksonville on April 12.
From April 18-20, UCF will travel to Dallas, Texas to compete in the C-USA Championship. The Knights have earned the fifth seed the past two seasons.
The Knights finished last season with a 12-12 overall record and a 9-3 mark at home. Last year, the Knights were ranked as high 62nd nationally, their highest mark since 2003.
UCF returns six letterwinners to the 2008 roster, including standout sophomore Johan Beigart and juniors Brock Sakey and Jimmy Roesch, while only losing three members from the 2007 team.
Schedule Notes: The 2008 schedule includes five teams the Knights will be facing for the first time. This will be the first season UCF will not be hosting the C-USA Shootout.
For the latest news and information on the Knights, tickets or apparel log on to www.ucfathletics.com - the official site for UCF varsity sports. Also, check out UCFPhotos.com, the exclusive fan source for UCF action sports pictures.
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