Aug. 6, 2008
ORLANDO, Fla. (www.ucfathletics.com) - Head coach Stephanie Nickitas' second-season at the helm of the UCF women's tennis program in 2008-09 will include a very challenging schedule, which was released on Wednesday. The Knights are set to host 12 dual-matches in the spring and will take on four different schools that reached the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 last year.
"I've very excited about this year's schedule," said Nickitas. "We have a chance to compete against some top-ranked schools, not only in our fall tournaments but also in the spring. This year I have added home matches with No. 9 Duke, No. 13 Clemson and No. 24 Tennessee (last year's final rankings), which will add even more depth to our schedule. We also have away matches at No. 5 Florida and No. 12 Miami."
In all, seven of UCF's opponents advanced to the 2008 NCAA Tournament, including Duke where Nickitas spent two seasons as an assistant coach.
The fall campaign consists of four individual tournaments, with three of the events located in the Sunshine State. UCF first heads to Gainesville for the Gator Fall Classic Sept. 19-21 before taking part in the C.L. Varner Memorial Invitational in Winter Park, the ITA Regionals in Athens, Ga., and the Miami Tournament at UM's campus.
With over two months to rest up for the spring season, the Knights kick off 2009 with the Florida Gulf Coast Tournament Jan. 16-18. They will then open the dual-match schedule at home vs. Florida A&M Jan. 22.
Along with the Rattlers, UCF also hosts Georgia Southern, East Carolina, Memphis, Eastern Michigan, Duke, Penn State, Clemson, Tennessee, North Texas, Louisiana-Lafayette and Jacksonville.
It will be the first time in school history the Knights meet Duke, Clemson and Tennessee on the tennis courts.
Away from Orlando, the Black and Gold hit the road to tangle with Florida, Florida Atlantic, Miami, Tulane, Southern, USF, North Florida and Stetson. Of those eight matches, six of them take place in the Sunshine State.
Rice will serve as the host institution when the Conference USA Championships get underway, with first-round matches set for April 16.
Nickitas and the Knights went 12-9 last season, and will be returning four letterwinners including senior Elvira Serrot and sophomore Jenny Frisell who both spent time at the No. 1 and No. 2 singles spots.
For the latest news on the Knights, log on to www.UCFAthletics.com - the official site for UCF varsity sports. The site, which also contains ticket and Golden Knights Club donor information, is also the home of UCF's new online apparel store. Also visit www.UCFPhotos.com, the exclusive fan source for UCF action sports pictures.
2008-09 UCF Women's Tennis ScheduleFall SeasonSept. 19-21 at Gator Fall Classic, Gainesville, Fla.Oct. 10-12 at C.L. Varner Memorial, Winter Park, Fla.Oct. 24-27 at ITA Regionals, Athens, Ga.Nov. 7-9 at Miami Tournament, Miami, Fla.
Spring SeasonJan. 16-18 at FGCU Tournament, Ft. Myers, Fla.Jan. 22 - Florida A&M - 2 p.m.Jan. 24 - at Florida - TBAFeb. 7 - at Florida Atlantic - 1 p.m.Feb. 8 - at Miami - TBAFeb. 13 - Georgia Southern - 2 p.m.Feb. 20 - East Carolina - 2 p.m.Feb. 22 - Memphis - 10 a.m.Feb. 26 - Eastern Michigan - 2 p.m.March 6 - Duke - 4 p.m.March 9 - at Southern - TBAMarch 10 - at Tulane - TBAMarch 14 - Penn State - 2 p.m.March 16 - Clemson - 2 p.m.March 20 - Tennessee - 2 p.m.March 21 - North Texas - 10 a.m.March 25 - at USF - 2 p.m.March 27 - Louisiana-Lafayette - 10 a.m.April 1 - Jacksonville - 3 p.m.April 4 - at North Florida - 12 p.m.April 11 - at Stetson - 12 p.m.April 16-19 - at C-USA Championships, Houston, Texas (Rice)
Times are Eastern. All home matches played at the UCF Tennis Complex. Schedule is subject to change.