By Heather Lancaster
UCFAthletics.com
ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFAthletics.com) - With the regular season complete, the UCF women's tennis team now looks forward to the 2010 Conference USA Championship hosted by Tulsa Thursday-Sunday. The Knights, who drew their highest seed since entering C-USA at No. 5, begin play at 3 p.m. ET against No. 12 UTEP Thursday at the Michael D. Case Tennis Center. The winner of the matchup between UCF and UTEP will face No. 4 Marshall at 3 p.m. ET Friday.
Owning a 12-6 record entering the weekend, UCF went 4-1 vs. C-USA teams during the year including a 7-0 victory over their first-round opponent UTEP. As a team, the Knights are 58-47 in singles play, led by senior Katie Orletsky and freshman Jenna Doerfler, who each have 10 victories. They are followed closely by sophomore Alexis Rodriguez and freshman Allison Hodges who both have nine.
The doubles teams have a 31-22 record on the season. The Knights struggled to find the right doubles teams throughout the year, but it seems like they finally found their groove. At the No. 1 position, Rodriguez and junior Jenny Frisell have posted a 6-2 record. Sophomores Andrea Yacaman and Taylor Dubins paired up at the No. 3 spot and finished with an 8-3 record. With a 2-3 record, Hodges and sophomore Christy Core look to improve their record this weekend.
UTEP finished the regular season with an overall record of 10-13. The Miners and the Knights faced off earlier this season and UCF came away with the win. A win over UTEP would put UCF in the quarterfinals vs. Marshall Friday. No. 4 Marshall concluded the regular season ranked No. 57 in the nation with a 17-6 record. Michaela Kissell finished the season at No. 41 in singles in the nation. Meanwhile, Kissell and Dominica Zaprazna are ranked No. 67 in doubles.
Last year, the Knights were the No. 7 seed sweeping No. 10 Tulane, 4-0, in the first round before losing to No. 2 Tulsa, 4-0, during the quarterfinals. All-time the Knights are 4-4 in C-USA Championships and have won a first-round match in each of their first four years in C-USA.
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