April 23, 2010
By Doug Richards
UCFAthletics.com
HOUSTON (UCFAthletics.com) - Senior Brock Sakey (Gulf Breeze, Fla.) rallied for a victory at No. 2 singles to help the third-seeded UCF men's tennis team outlast No. 6 East Carolina, 4-2, Friday evening in quarterfinal play at the Conference USA Championship. The Knights (12-7) advance to meet No. 2 Rice, the tournament's host, in semifinal action Saturday at Jake Hess Tennis Stadium.
With UCF leading the Pirates (18-8) 3-2, Sakey refused to fall to Stephen Whitwell, clinching the Knights' win with a 2-6, 6-1, 7-6 (7-4) triumph. Due to a rain delay earlier in the day, the teams played singles to start the match. After UCF clinched the win, the match concluded with no doubles contests.
The Knights' first point of the day came at No. 5 where senior Johan Beigart (Vaxjo, Sweden) had little trouble with Henrik Skalmerud, winning 6-2, 6-3. Against Jaroslav Horvath at the top spot, senior Marc Rocafort (Barcelona, Spain) also eased to a 6-2, 6-3 victory.
Junior Blaze Schwartz (Pensacola, Fla.) recorded UCF's other win. At No. 3, he handled Massimo Mannino (6-2, 6-4).
UCF will face Rice at 4 p.m. Eastern Saturday. The Owls are ranked 41st in the nation. Rice was a 4-0 winner over No. 7 seed Southern Miss Friday.
The Knights, who are ranked 70th in the country, have now won three-straight contests.
The tournament championship is set for Sunday. The winner earns the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Championship.
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, East Carolina 2
Singles Competition
1. Marc Rocafort (UCF) def. Jaroslav Horvarth (ECU) 6-2, 6-3
2. Brock Sakey (UCF) def. Stephen Whitwell (ECU) 2-6, 6-1, 7-6
3. Blaze Schwartz (UCF) def. Massimo Mannino (ECU) 6-2, 6-4
4. John Schmitt (ECU) def. Claudio Romano (UCF) 6-1, 6-1
5. Johan Beigart (UCF) def. Henrik Skalmerud (ECU) 6-2, 6-3
6. Bryan Oakley (ECU0 def. Nino Hasandedic (UCF) 6-3, 4-6, 6-2