March 12, 2008
SAN DIEGO, Calif. (www.ucfathletics.com) - The UCF men's tennis team recorded its fourth-straight victory with a win against Cal Poly, 6-1, on Wednesday at the La Jolla Beach & Tennis Club. The squad (7-5) is ranked 72nd nationally.
"The guys seized the opportunity today and are competing at every spot with heart," said UCF head coach Bobby Cashman. "It's such a privilege to play in southern California at La Jolla (Beach & Tennis Club) in front of friends, UCF alumni and boosters. We know we have a difficult test on Saturday and want to be ready when the match comes around."
The Knights posted wins at all three doubles tilts.
Junior Tarek Ben Soltane (Tunis, Tunisia) and freshman Blaze Schwartz (Pensacola, Fla./Washington) cruised past Drew Jacobs and Blake Wardman, 8-2, at No. 3. The victory marked the duo's fourth straight in doubles play.
Senior Sinan Sudas (Adana, Turkey) and freshman Claudio Romano (Valencia, Venezuela) clinched the doubles point with an 8-5 win at No. 1 against Robert Foy and Darryn Young. Junior Brock Sakey (Gulf Breeze, Fla./Gulf Breeze) and sophomore Johan Beigart (Vaxjo, Sweden) defeated Andrew Gerst and Alexander Sonesson, 8-6, at No. 2. Sakey and Beigart now have a team-best seven doubles wins.
Andrew Gerst registered Cal Poly's (7-5) only point of the afternoon with a 6-1, 5-7, 6-1 at No. 1 against Beigart.
Schwartz, now 4-0 in singles competition, earned UCF its second point of the day. With a 6-4, 6-1 win at No. 4 against Jacobs, Ben Soltane improved his record to 8-0.
Romano clinched the match for the Knights at No. 5, taking a 4-6, 6-3, 6-0 decision against Sonesson.
Sudas and Sakey also posted wins at courts two and three, respectively.
Four Knights have won at least their last four-consecutive singles decisions. UCF's next match is on Saturday, giving the team ample time to enjoy the California and prepare for No. 57 UC Irvine. First serve at the La Jolla Beach & Tennis Club is at 9 a.m. EST.
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