Jan. 18, 2008
ORLANDO, Fla. (www.ucfathletics.com) - UCF's women's tennis team kicks off its 2008 spring campaign this weekend when it travels to Florida Gulf Coast and the MLK/Johan Kriek Classic Saturday-Monday. The tournament will not count towards the Knights' overall record, but it will be played in a dual-match format to help the Black and Gold prepare for the rest of the year.
"We are really excited to get started with our first event of the season," said head coach Stephanie Nickitas, who is in her first year with the Knights. "I am very happy with the dual-match format because it gives us some good practice heading into our first match Jan. 24. The focus is now all about the team compared to the individual tournaments in the fall. We are hoping to start a successful path for the rest of the spring this weekend."
UCF will be joined by FGCU, No. 31 Florida International and No. 32 Wichita State in the green group, while No. 11 Miami, No. 52 Ohio State, Dartmouth and Stetson form the blue group. The Knights will play singles vs. each program in its group, and doubles against the other four teams participating in the tournament. There will be eight singles matches and four doubles matches, with points being awarded for each victory.
To open the tournament, UCF takes on Ohio State in doubles Saturday at 10 a.m., Wichita State in singles at 11 a.m. and Miami in doubles at 3 p.m.
The Knights return their top four singles players from a year ago, as well as their top two doubles tandems. In the fall, UCF posted a 27-22 singles record and a 12-8 mark in three individual tournaments. Freshman Jenny Frisell earned the best combined record, going 5-1 in singles and 4-1 in doubles (with partner Jennifer Carati).
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UCF Women's Tennis Schedule at the FGCU Tournament
Saturday
10 a.m. - UCF vs. Ohio State - Doubles
11 a.m. - UCF vs. Wichita State - Singles
3 p.m. - UCF vs. Miami - Doubles
Sunday
10 a.m. - UCF vs. Stetson - Doubles
3 p.m. - UCF vs. Florida Gulf Coast - Singles
Monday
9 a.m. - UCF vs. Dartmouth - Doubles
1 p.m. - UCF vs. Florida International - Singles