April 3, 2009
GREENVILLE, N.C. (UCFAthletics.com) - Junior Johan Beigart (Vaxjo, Sweden) picked up a victory at the No. 4 singles position to lift the UCF men's tennis team to a 4-3 win over Southern Miss Friday at the ECU Tennis Complex. The match was UCF's (9-8) first of three at the Conference USA Shootout.
With the contest tied 3-3, Beigart held on for a 6-2, 3-6, 7-5 win over Diego Machuca. The Knights opened the match against Southern Miss (8-7) by taking the doubles point. Each team took three singles tilts.
"Again, the doubles point was critical in a 4-3 match. This time we got up breaks and kept running with the momentum," UCF head coach Bobby Cashman said. "We battled hard today against a tough opponent in tough conditions with heavy wind. We did a good job of using the conditions to our advantage in our game plans. Johan clinched the match for us today with some clutch volleying in the third set."
The match was delayed for nearly three hours due to rain and gusty winds.
UCF senior Tarek Ben Soltane (Tunis, Tunisia) recorded a 7-5, 6-2 win over Andrew Poole at No. 2. The Knights' other singles victory came at No. 6, where freshman Eugene Dolgovykh (Palm Coast, Fla.) topped Markus Wessinghage (7-6, 6-3).
In doubles play, Beigart and sophomore Blaze Schwartz (Pensacola, Fla.) defeated Poole and Jan Burmeister, 8-5. At No. 3, Dolgovykh and junior Marc Rocafort (Barcelona, Spain) handled Machuca and Domagoj Anic, 8-4.
On Saturday morning, UCF will face UAB. The Knights will conclude the event Sunday with a match against host East Carolina.
For the latest news on the Knights, log on to 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 UCFPhotos.com, the exclusive fan source for UCF action sports pictures.
UCF 4, Southern Miss 3
Singles competition
1. Patricio Alvarado (USMM) def. Marc Rocafort (UCF) 7-5, 6-1
2. Tarek Ben Soltane (UCF) def. Andrew Poole (USMM) 7-5, 6-2
3. Domagoj Anic (USMM) def. Blaze Schwartz (UCF) 6-3, 5-7, 7-6
4. Johan Beigart (UCF) def. Diego Machuca (USMM) 6-2, 3-6, 7-5
5. Strate Krstevski (USMM) def. Joe Delinks (UCF) 6-2, 6-1
6. Eugene Dolgovykh (UCF) def. Markus Wessinghage (USMM) 7-6, 6-3
Doubles competition
1. Johan Beigart/Blaze Schwartz (UCF) def. Jan Burmeister/Andrew Poole (USMM) 8-5
2. Patricio Alvarado/Markus Wessinghage (USMM) def. Joe Delinks/Tarek Ben Soltane (UCF) 8-6
3. Eugene Dolgovykh/Marc Rocafort (UCF) def. Domagoj Anic/Diego Machuca (USMM) 8-4